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REV, SAMUEL WATSON 






THE 



CLOCK STRUCK THREE, 

BEING A REVIEW OF CLOCK STRUCK ONE, 
AiND REPLY TO IT. 



FART II. 
SHOWING THE HARMONY BETWEEN 

CHEISTIANITY, SCIENCE, 

AND 

spiBiimiisi. 



V 

SAMUEL WATSON. 



— o- 



. 



CHICAGO: 
3ELIGIO-PHIL080PHICAL PUBLISHING HOUSE, 
S. S. JONES, PROPRIETOR 
1874. 




'/I 






#\* 



Entered according fa Act of Congress, in the year 1874, 

BY SAMUEL WATSON, 
In the office of the Librarian of Congress in Washington 



PREFACE 



In the Summer of 1871, I published a book 
entitled "Clock Struck One, and Christian Spir- 
itualist." It was reviewed by Rev. Guilford 
Jones, D. D., in a pamphlet, and Rev. Wm. E. 
Boggs, in the Southern Presbyterian Quarterly 
Review. To these I replied in "Clock Struck 
Two. ' ' Another review was written for the South- 
ern Methodist Quarterly, by a distinguished 
Judge of the South. 

The manuscript was returned to the Author 
with the following letter from the Editor : " Upon 
a more careful examination, my father desires me 
to say to you, that, though it is, in many respects, 
a good one, it would not be expedient to put it 
in the Review now. It has never been the habit 
of the Review, as a Quarterly, to make a news- 
paper discussion the basis of an article. At first, 
it seemed to him that he would be able to elimin- 
ate those portions referring to the controversy in 
the St. Louis Christian Advocate, but they are so 
inwrought in the texture of the article, that it is 
impossible." 

The Author then wrote a "resume of the sub- 
ject," and forwarded them to me by mail. Having 
a sincere desire to give botli sides of this question 
a fair hearing, I gave all that Dr. Thos. E. Bond, 



IV. PREFACE. 

the editor of the St. Louis Christian Advocate, 
said against it, in the introduction to " Clock 
Struck One." I think he was regarded by the 
Church as the most competent person within her 
pales to discuss this question. 

He has passed away from the present state of 
being, and now another gigantic, cultivated mind 
takes up the subject, and submits it to the critical 
analysis of his scientific pen. As I am anxious 
for the public to have all the light they can on 
this interesting subject, I give his review and his 
"resume" to them, with my reply to both. 

It is due the Author, to say, that he never saw 
any Spiritual manifestation, and only examines 
the question from a Biblical and Scientific stand- 
point. He was a member of the General Confer- 
ence of the Methodist Episcopal Church South, 
which met in Memphis, Tenn., in 1870. 



INTRODUCTION. 



I have watched this spiritual movement with 
much interest from its commencement. At first, 
I believed it to be one of the vilest of humbugs, 
and that those who were engaged in it were insti- 
gated by the Devil, to deceive the people. Many 
of them taught that which was in direct opposi- 
tion to the most sacred truth which has been instill- 
ed into my inmost nature from my childhood. 
Those who first investigated it, were, to a great 
extent, those whose religious proclivities were 
adverse to Christianity. They would naturally 
attract to them spirits whose opinions were in har- 
mony with theirs. Hence their teachings were, to 
a great extent, in opposition to the churches. As 
a legitimate consequence, the Church, with but 
few exceptions, opposed the whole movement, and 
when it could not deny the phenomena, attributed 
them all to "the Old Adversary going about as a 
roaring lion seeking whom he may devour." I 
read every thing I saw on the subject, and frankly 
confess I partook of the same general opinion 
entertained by the Church. Nor do I know that 
I ever should have given any personal attention 
to it, but it forced itself unbidden and unwelcome 
into my family, in 1855, a synopsis of which I 
have given in " The Clock Struck One." 



VI INTRODUCTION. 

Scientific men, for many years, professed to look 
upon the subject as one far below their dignity to 
investigate. 

Materialism, born in Europe, brought up and 
confirmed by the tendency of scientific thought, 
forced away from the Church by the abuses and 
superstitions of the Roman Catholic Church, arises 
and plants itself firmly — enters into the schools 
and universities, permeates the social fabric and 
eclipses the faith. Had Spiritualism spoken first 
through the Church, the Materialists would have 
said: "Their mediums are hallucinated; this is 
only a delusion, or a contrivance of the Church to 
impose upon the credulity of mankind.'' There 
would have been force in their objections and 
explanations, a tleast to minds predisposed to their 
way of thinking. But the voices came not through 
the Church; they did not profess friendship to 
the Church ; nor did the Church tolerate them ; 
their ministers were among their most violent 
opposers. In fact, the antagonism between the 
two has been so marked, that the Materialistic 
mind has been forever stopped from laying the 
"delusion" or the "contrivance" at the door of 
the Church, and stands amazed, confused and 
confounded before the inexplicable phenomena ; 
and to one acquainted with the phenomena, the 
mere Materialistic arguments have no force what- 
ever. All this is now matter of history, and can 
never be erased. 

The Church is a great social force, as a re- 
deeming, an enlightening and saving force, is a 



INTRODUCTION. VII 

fact almost universally acknowledged in Christian 
countries ; that it has not the spiritual power it 
once had, is, also, an acknowledged fact among 
its members ; that its fragmentary discussions are 
contradictory, is admitted ; that the advance of 
free thought and the unfoldment of science, seem, 
at least, to be in a line of direction away from 
the Church, is also true. The spread of a Material- 
istic Philosophy throughout Europe, and its rapid 
introduction into this country by the flood of 
emigration which is yearly drifting westward, is 
seen by all observers of the times. 

Spiritualism, weak, puny, insignificant at first, 
foolish and contradictory afterwards ; growing 
now more orderly and more steady in its proced- 
ure, is also known by all who have kept up with 
its history. There is significancy in this fact, that 
which, to my mind, argues the unfoldment of the 
truths contained in Christianity, or rather their 
blending in a sweet fellowship, that will bring 
order out of confusion, and concord out of discord, 
in the elimination and rejection of falsehood, and 
the firm establishment of truth upon a basis which 
can never be moved. Then the most sublime truths 
and most lofty conceptions of lives of purity ', 
justice, charity and holiness, will lift the soul to 
the gates of Paradise, in contemplation of th<> 
speedy coming of the Kingdom of God. 

This I conceive will be the orderly triumph of the 
facts and truths of spirit intercourse, and that, too, 
without the overthrow of the Church, but rather 
with its more firm establishment, not of the dog- 



VIII INTRODUCTION. 

mas and creeds, but of the great eternal princi- 
ples taught by Christ and the Apostles. 

May it not be that the semi-infidelic utterances 
of Spiritualism hitherto, have been the " foolish 
things" chosen to confound the " mighty" Ma- 
terialistic tendency of the nineteenth century, both 
in Europe and America. 

This battle, I think, is nearly ended. Science, 
proud of her past achievements, has well nigh 
surrendered to the stubborn facts, which will not 
down at their bidding, but submits cheerfully to 
the most exacting demands of scientific criticism. 
This will be seen fully when the reader reaches 
that part of the book devoted to this subject. 

I also give communications received through a 
medium in whom I have all the confidence I can 
have in any one, in either world, to show that all 
of my teachings have been in harmony with Chris- 
tianity as I understand it. Believing, as I do, 
that the time is not far distant when Christianity, 
properly understood, and Spiritualism, disrobed 
of its excrescences, will be confirmed by science, 
and all sweetly harmonizing in hastening the 
Millennial glory which is dawning upon the world, 
when the New Jerusalem shall descend to earth. 

Samuel Watson. 



IX 



TAIJLE OF CONTENTS OF REVIEW. 



PAGE. 

Review ; letter from Editor of JfetJiodist Quarterly 3 

Author of last review ; Biblical scientific standpoint 4 

Introduction 5 

Origin of the controversy with Dr. Bond 15 

Reviewer's design to scrutinize the arguments 16 

Analogies of physical forces favor the spiritual theory 17 

Invisible agents produce mighty effects on physical sub- 
stances 18 

The intelligent purpose displayed in signals 19 

Confederate officer in Aberdeen, Mississippi 20 

Definitions and explanations of spirit 21 

Electricity ; spirit potential part of humanity 22 

Herodotus ; Necro, king of Egypt; spectrum analysis 23 

Voltaire, Alexander ; window opened in heaven 24 

Author believes what Moses, prophets and apostles witness. 25 

Ancient and Modern Spiritualism 26 

Spiritual manifestations did not end with John 27 

Burden of proof on those who affirm a cessation 28 

Sadducees ; either a man or a spirit ; an angel *2'.» 

Examples showing real visits of angels 30 

Spiritual intercourse now ineontrovertibly attested 31 

Proof independent of the Bible, strengthens our belief in it. 32 

Two persons on Island in South Sea ; no deception 83 

Spiritual telegraph ; absolute law compels belief 34 

Mesmerism ; reflection of combined sentiments 35 

•' Mr. Watson challenges investigation;" submits facts 36 

His first investigations ; select circle of persons 87 

Interview with Dr. Mansfield in I860 : communications. ... 38 

Marrit ; son to father, 1871 ; too much resentment 39 

Communications, May, 1873 ; criticised by reviewer 40 

Shut up to one of two conclusions 41 

Maffit, instead of Bishop Otey : Joshua Soule 42 

Picture of Clock ; Parsons and Sehon 43 

Gen. Rives ; several tests; spiritual opinions fallible 44 

Two feats, each more marvelous than action of spirits 46 

Diversity of spiritual gifts to man to profit 46 

Speaking and writing in unknown tongues 47 



False theory that people go directly to heaven or hell 48 

Natural and spiritual body ; resurrection 49 

Nearly all would like to have more proof of immortality 50 

CONTENTS OF REPLY TO REVIEW. 

A frank admission ; oracles of Greece and Rome 51 

Whatever psychological law accounts for modern, will ac- 
count for ancient, spiritual manifestations 52 

Necessity for something more tangible ; science, materializ- 
ing, man, dogmatic and selfish 53 

To deny it, gives the Jewish advantage over the Christian 

dispensation ; no new revelation or doctrine 54 

Free inquiry abroad ; skepticism ; church letter 55 

Warfare between spirit and letter ; universal law 56 

Successive degrees of unfolding ; science and true theology 

married 57 

Was the immortality of the soul, or the resurrection of the 

body, taught by Moses? 58 

Penalties have no reference to future state 59 

Universal desire to know something after death 60 

Principle of telegraphy existed from creation 61 

Ridicule no argument ; book not answered 62 

Superiority of Christian over Jewish dispensation 63 

Nothing of them in the New Testament 64 

The moral reasons for those statutes done away 65 

God answered by the Urim and Thummim and prophets. . . 66 
Christ's actions forcible follow him who held intercourse.. . 67 

Type of the privilege of His church in latter days 68 

Prophecy of Joel applied by Peter 69 

Rev. John Wesley's testimony ; "abolished Mosaic law.". 70 

Methodist discipline says not bind Christians 71 

Instance in Old Testament of men's appearing 72 

" Two men," at ascension, appeared to Cornelius and Paul. 73 

One of the old prophets reveals to John in Patmos 74 

Parable of the rich man and Lazarus explained 75 

The logic examined 76 

It relates to resurrection of body ; a specific miracle 77 

If the view taken by some be correct, no use for New Tes- 
tament. 78 

Singular test in writing brother's name 79 

Gen. River's name very striking test 80 

Dr. Jones, fac simile autographs and dilemma, 81 

Science of magnetism ; sensational preacher 82 

Development the great law of our nature 83 

Tests in communications from a number of persons. 84 



XI 



PAGB. 

Discrepancies have disappeared ; Quarterly Review 85 

CONTENTS OF THE SUBJECT RESUMED. 

John "Wesley's and Adam Clark's belief. 86 

Every great reform condemned as scismatic 87 

Reviewer considers some points settled ; Robert Dale Owen. 88 

Tests of personal identity given 89 

Sealed letter to Dr. Mansfield ; Rev. E. Boggs' opinion 90 

Spirit writing under the table 91 

Alien languages of which the mediums have no knowledge. 92 

No escape for those who believe in Divine Revelation 93 

The Phenomena of Spiritualism unquestionable 94 

True and false spirits ; Spiritualism misunderstood 95 

Christian Spiritualists believe these are but a renewal to men 

of that which were anciently of frequent occurrence. . . 96 
Long interval between Moses and Samuel ; no open vision. 97 
Ezekiel's vision of drybones ; dead people coming to life. 98 

Socrates, demon that conversed with him 99 

Ghost of Caesar 100 

Eclipses, meteoric showers, comets 101 

Law rules 102 

White rose, Belshazzar, Samson 103 

Nebuchadnezzai 104 

Progress of manifestations 105 

Balaam, Saul, Jonah 106 

Spheres, Robert Dale Owen 107 

Gibbon, Christ, Ridicule 108 

Chemical action, force 109 

Conservation and correlation of force 110 

Dr. Hammond, magicians Ill 

Dialectical Society 112 

M'lle Emmerich 113 

Lord Brougham's story 114 

Electrical persons 115 

Knowledge advancing 116 

Christian Religion 117 

Amber, magnet 118 

Force *" 119 

Robert Dale Owen 120 

Editor Southern Quarterly Her it ic 121 

John Wesley's and Adam Clark's views 1 22 

Mr. Wesley's interview with the Indians, 1736 12:} 

Quotation from Dr. Adam Clark 125 

Communication from a Methodist preacher 126-7-8-9 



XII 



PAGE. 

Richard "Watson's views given 129 

His account of a remarkable apparition 130-1-2-3-4 

Review of one of the Reviewers 135 

What Christianity is not 136 

God's universal laws 137 

Man always a subject of law. 139 

CONTENTS OF CHAPTER I. 

Universal communication — Swedenborg — Wesley — Import- 
ant Discoveries — Magnetism — Superstition — Fanaticism. 140 

CONTENTS OF CHAPTER II. ■ 

Important Questions — Personal Investigations — Certain Facts 
— Spiritual Gifts — Science — Materialism — Physical Mani- 
festations — Both sides mean same thing in both Worlds — 
Just Reward — Powers increased — Prayer 152 

CONTENTS OF CHAPTER III. 

Bible Testimony — Nothing Taken Back — Nations possessed 
it — Universal Belief — Demand of the Age — Skepticism in 
Europe — Natural Means — Prophecy of Joel — Wesley's 
Testimony — No New Revelation 163 

CONTENTS OF CHAPTER IV. 

Man a Trinity — Natural and Spiritual Body -Judge Ed- 
monds and Wesley's Opinions — Man's Intellectual and 
Moral Dignity 176 

CONTENTS OF CHAPTER V. 

Difficulties — Rational, Moral and Religious 194 

CONTENTS OF CHAPTER VI. 

Mediumistic Purity — Physical Manifestations — Mission of 
Spiritualism — Progression — Not Authoritative — Present 
Life Seed Time — Forming Circles — Testimony of Senses 
— Science — Materialization 210 

CONTENTS OF CHAPTER VII. 

Sacrifices to be made — Desire to know — Bishops Doggett's 
and McTyeire's Sermons — Wesley's Views of the Interme- 
diate State 226 



xm 

PAGE. 



CONTENTS OF CHAPTER VIII. 



Spiritualism from a Scientific Standpoint — Report of the 
Committee to the London Dialectical Society 236 

CONTENTS OF CHAPTER IX. 

Introduction — Communications received through a most re- 
liable Medium 278 

CONTENTS OF CHAPTER X. 

Communications at home. New York and London 290 

CONTENTS OF CHAPTER XI. 

Communications from Dr. Bond, A. Dupree, W. T. Ander- 
son. Author of Review ; Dr. McMahon, his Daughter, and 
Mollie 309 

CONTENTS OF CHAPTER XII. 

Communications received February First, without asking 

any questions, or for any person 320 

Judge Edmond' Address 345 



THE CASE EXAMINED PURELY ON THE RECORD, 

BY ONE WHO HAS NO EXPERIENCE OF 

SPIRITUAL MANIFESTATIONS. 



'THE CLOCK STRUCK ONE AND CHRISTIAN SPIRITUALIST, 
BY REV. SAMUEL WATSON." 



The name of this book, apart from its full title, 
fails to indicate the serious, earnest character of 
its contents. Those who do not know the Author, 
may suppose that he designed this name to excite 
curiosity by appealing to those superstitious feel- 
ings which attribute spectral importance to certain 
solemn hours of the night ; in fact, the book grew 
out of a controversy between Mr. Watson and Dr. 
Bond, editor of the St. Louis Christian Advocate, 
in regard to the cause of a solitary stroke of an 
old clock, out of time and out of tune. Such a 
stroke occurred on several occasions, in Mr. Wat- 
son' s house, and he received, from other persons. 
reports of like things occurring within their 
knowledge. As a death occurred in the Author' s 
family soon after each mysterious striking of the 
disabled time-piece, he inferred that the sound 
was produced by some spirit deeply interested in 
his affairs, in order to forewarn him of the coming 
event. Dr. Bond held that this view was erroneous, 
the irrational conclusion of a mind predisposed 
to superstitious credulity. Several arguments, 
replies, and rejoinders, appeared in the Advocate^ 
until, at last, that paper failed to publish Mr. 



16 EEVIEW OF THE CLOCK STKUCK ONE. 

Watson' s article, and lie resolved to present his 
facts and views in the form of a book. The con- 
troversy occurred in 1871, and the book was, 
published in June, 1872. 

The work makes no pretensions to literary 
excellence, for the writer has a far more import- 
ant purpose than to win reputation by the style 
of his writing or the novelty of his opinions. The 
book was evidently written amid the press of other 
engagements, and without much revision of man- 
uscript. Nevertheless, an attentive reader will 
be able to understand all the important statements 
of facts, the reasoning employed, and the conclu- 
sions deduced. 

The author feels that he has momentous truths 
to impart, and that he will have performed his 
duty in making those truths known in whatever 
order they may be announced. 

Having read, with much interest, the controversy 
as originally published, I was the better prepared 
to enter into the merits of the book ; and I now 
propose to sum up the leading facts, to restate 
the doctrines taught, and to scrutinize the argu- 
ments by which they are supported, so as to 
determine, if possible, where the truth is estab- 
lished, and wherein the errors consist, if errors 
there are to be found ! 

It appears that the singular stroke of the clock 
that no longer kept time, was, according to the 
Author' s belief, only a small movement, a part of 
a grand system of signs from a signal-corps of 
angels and spirits. This gave the great signifi- 
cance to that solitary stroke. Dr. Bond tried to 
dispel the idea that it was the work of a spirit, by 
ridicule. He reasoned, also, logically and strongly 
from the premises he assumed. Those premises 
are generally received as established truths by the 
more intelligent and cultivated portion of man- 



THE CLOCK. 17 

kind, and particularly by those who study the 
relations of cause and effect in physical science. 

It is assumed that there is no such motion pro- 
duced, or power displayed, except by the known 
physical forces, muscular action, the impondera- 
ble agents, mental effort, etc. ; that there are no 
ghosts ; that the spirits of the departed never 
return, or never appear ; a spirit so thin as to g< t 
into a clock tightly closed, could not move the 
striker after getting in ; such a signal is a very 
unsatisfactory communication and favors only 
those who have crippled clocks. 

The main part of this is begging the question, 
or taking it without begging. The very proposi- 
tion which Mr. Watson affirms and Dr. Bond 
denies, is that the spirits of the departed do come 
back and make their presence known by sight, 
sound, or touch. 

The argument that a spirit must be powerless, 
if so attenuated as to find no obstacle to its pas- 
sage through the closed case of a clock, was com- 
pletely overthrown by the happy allusion to 
electricity. Even the analogies of physical forces 
favor the spiritual theory. A man might be enclosed 
in an iron box, air tight, and yet, by means of 
electric currents, signals could be communicated 
to him ; or concussion, combustion, explosion, 
and decomposition, could be effected on substances 
thus hermetically sealed up. Likewise, heat and 
light may pass through certain substances imper- 
meable to hydrogen gas, and work mighty changes 
on objects completely imprisoned. The negative 
does not attempt to maintain that, if a man were 
sealed up alive in an air-tight meta lie case, however 
thick, and there left to die, his spirit would remain 
*'in prison," until the final conflagration melted 
his coffin. Here, again, the deepest researches of 
physical science concede the freedom of the spirit. 



18 EEVIEW OF THE CLOCK STRUCK ONE. 

The ultimate particles of the densest matter do 
not touch each other. Gold and platinum are 
porous, and our Savior s body passed in and out 
of a room while the door was closed. But it is a 
notable and fundamental fact, in the investigation 
of physical as well as spiritual phenomena, that all 
force is manifested, all motion and effects are pro- 
duced, by invisible, imponderable, impalpable 
agents. We understand that the worlds were 
framed by the word of God, so that things 
which are seen were not made of things which 
do appear (Heb. 11 : 3). Heat, light, gravita- 
tion, cohesion, chemical affinity, electricity and 
galvanism, these forces produce mighty effects on 
physical substances, but they are all invisible, 
imponderable, in a sense, insubstantial agents. 
Animal motion, muscular action, voluntary and 
involuntary, are all caused by some invisible 
power acting on and through the material body, 
which is as powerless as any inert matter, when 
the mind, the spirit, and the "vital principle," 
are taken away. 

It is, therefore, the extremity of error, to con- 
found what is insubstantial with nonentity ; or, to 
suppose that an immaterial being cannot move a 
solid body. This only settles the question of 
possibility. But among these etherial powers, it 
is as reasonable to conclude that heat or electricity 
gradually drew the hammer back to the point where 
the spring caused it to strike, as that a spirit caused 
the stroke. We might be content, even, to 
leave the blow unexplained, without resorting to 
supernatural agency. The death of a member of 
the family, following the mysterious sound, might 
well cause the observer to think of the two in 
connection. Four or ^.ve such coincidences might 
almost compel him to believe that the voice of 
the dumb clock was a harbinger of death in the 



SPIRIT AND CLOCK 19 

household. Still that conclusion would not be 
produced in every mind. And he who affirms 
that a spirit caused the clock to strike, must cany 
the burden of proof. The intelligent purpose 
displayed in the signals, must be the principal 
argument. Now, weigli the evidence that there 
was a rational design in the sound. As a premon- 
ition of death, the token seems to have been 
unavailing. In one case the disease was so w r ell 
defined and so far advanced, that the patient and 
the family were aware that it must soon prove 
fatal. In the case of Durell, it only appears that 
the clock sounded before the news of his death 
arrived by telegraph, but possibly not before the 
death occurred. In no instance does it appear 
that warning was needed, or that any time was 
gained or improved in preparing for the event, 
making a will, or setting the house in order. In 
one case, the only event given as the sequence of 
the mysterious note of warning, was that a young- 
man (not a member of the family in whose house 
the sound was heard, but a boarder temporarily 
absent), was seized with a violent attack of apo- 
plexy, from which he soon recovered. This 
instance is not given in the book, but was in one 
of the communications published in the Advocate 
in 1871. 

A knowledge of future events, as an attribute of 
these spirits, is expressly disclaimed by Mr. 
Watson, and by the responses given through 
mediums. 

How, then, could they foretell a coming death \ 
It is claimed that the ministering spirit has superior 
faculties for ascertaining what would be the result 
of the disease then preying <>n the sufferer, and so 
gave warning of that result in advance. M\ 
experienced physician could do as much, and his 
advice would be more intelligible. The warnings 



20 REVIEW OF THE CLOCK STRUCK ONE. 

given by the clock were not understood at first. 
Mr. White heard the silent clock "strike one" a 
second time, and then he was impressed with the 
idea of approaching death, which occurred in 
Lexington, Virginia. 

When we have proved that the single stroke of 
a powerless clock is not an invariable or available 
" premonition of an afflictive event," we have still 
failed to deprive the signal of its most important 
meaning in the estimation of Mr. Watson. Its 
real significance is, that it gives him assurance 
and compels him to notice that some spiritual 
intelligence is interested in his behalf, and has 
power to make its presence felt. The instance of 
the Confederate General is well attested, and clear- 
ly defined. He said to quite a number of friends 
in Aberdeen, Mississippi, that if he got killed, or 
died, during the war, if he could, he would "come 
back and make that old clock strike." It was 
agreed upon, and so understood by all the party. 
He was killed, and soon after the clock struck 
while some of the party were in the room. We 
can imagine that the stroke accidentally occurred, 
or was slyly contrived by some of the party soon 
after the officer 1 s death ; but it is far more reason- 
able, in the absence of any proof of such con- 
trivance, to infer that a spirit made the signal in 
pursuance of the express agreement, unless we 
hold that the spirit of a deceased person never can 
manifes; its presence again among earthly scenes. 
This brings us back to one of the principal points 
of dispute. 

A discussion invested with the unfailing interest 
of ghost stories, and with' far greater interest, must 
occasionally give place to the dryness of defini- 
tions. We are entering on new and strange realms 
which afford to the imagination no support as 
firm even as thin air. 



SPIRIT AND WIND. 21 

What is a spirit ? 

Human language furnishes names for tangible 
objects, and when a more subtile essence must be 
designated, we sometimes apply to it the terms 
belonging to the substantial thing which bears most 
resemblance to it. Men have always understood 
that there is a thinking, moving power, a living 
principle, which actuates the body, but forms no 
part of it. This intelligent agent cannot be hand- 
led or located, yet its power is clearly manifested. 

So it is likened to the air, the wind, which 
gently sways the harvest field, or lashes the sea 
into fury, and yet is invisible, impalpable. When 
a vessel is full of air, it is said to be empty. Air 
was long supposed to have no weight. Therefore, 
in many, if not all, the languages, the names of 
air are given to this spiritual being. Ghostly is 
the same as ghastly, and that is gas-like, and gas 
is air. We say, sometimes, ghostly adviser, some- 
times, spiritual counsellor. Breath is nearly the 
same as air. The Latin for breath, is spiritus, 
and from this we derive our word spirit, in all its 
uses ; also sprite. The French has esprit for spirit. 
and for mind, intellect, soul, ghost. The Greek 
word pneuma, means breath, air, wind, soul, 
spirit, ghost. To give up the ghost, is to give up 
the breath, to expire. This word of pneumatic 
origin, is the one which, in the Greek testament, 
nearly always answers to spirit, or (holy) ghost, 
in our English translation. Another Greek word, 
<< nemos, is used for wind, and its Latin form, am- 
mus, is also used for mind and soul. These 
relations might be traced much farther, to show 
the general ideas of mankind in regard to spirit. 
but this may suffice. The Savior used the wind 
to illustrate spiritual action, for the same reason 
that it furnishes the most fitting analogy in the 
material world. Breath is used as synonymous 



22 EEVIEW OF THE CLOCK STRUCK ONE. 

with life, for an obvious reason. Soul, in the 
Bible, sometimes means the living being, or the 
life. 

Since electricity has become known (in part), it 
furnishes a far more forcible symbol of spirit, and 
even of divine power. Present every where, even 
in the vast vacuities of space, often latent, unseen, 
unfelt, yet ever ready to be evoked by friction, 
by chemical action, or other means, producing 
melting heat or dazzling light, flying to the end of 
the world and back in an instant, executing man' s 
will at the greatest distance, splitting a tree or 
rock into shivers, burning metals, decomposing 
compounds, it has no weight, no form or sub- 
stance. Pre-eminent as a messenger, it has its 
choice of channels and communicates only in 
stated methods. It has many of the attributes of 
those spirits which the Almighty makes his 
messengers, the flame of fire which he makes his 
ministers. 

In this essay, we will use the term spirit as 
signifying all the intelligent, potential part of 
humanity — all that is not corporeal — without 
distinguishing it from mind and soul. Spirit is 
the most general term for an incorporeal being. 

It is necessary, also, to determine what propo- 
sitions shall be regarded as self-evident or 
previously established. Except in pure mathe- 
matics, the received axioms have changed with 
the progress of time, and different tests of truth 
are held by different critics. To give a few exam- 
ples: Long after Pythagoras and others had 
asserted the true system of the world, the great 
school of Astronomy at Alexandria, in the most 
enlightened place and period of the ancient world, 
taught that the earth was the central body, and 
the sun and planets revolved around it. This was 
received as the true teaching of scientific men, until 



PROGRESS OF SCIENCE. 23 

the middle of the sixteenth century. Then Coper- 
nicus established the true doctrine, which has 
since been universally received, notwithstanding 
the opposition of Tycho Brahe, the greatest astro- 
nomer, in the next succeeding generation. An- 
other: Herodotus did not believe the Phoenician 
navigators, who reported that in sailing round 
Africa (in the service of Necho, King of Egypt), 
they had the sun on the north side. In the days 
of Herodotus, it was a received doctrine that the 
surface of the earth was a vast level, and, there- 
fore, men could never go so far south as to have 
the sun in the north. 

In the early part of this century, the most hope- 
ful philosopher would have admitted the eternal 
impossibility of sending verbal messages from 
San Francisco to Constantinople, and receiving a 
full, intelligible answer, all in the same day or the 
same hour. Men would have reasoned on that 
assumed impossibility as confidently as they even 
did on the axioms of mathematics. 

If there are degrees of impossibility, men would 
have been still further from imagining it possible 
ever to identify any of the elements or materials 
that compose the sun. In a scientific address 
delivered about twenty-five years ago, a gentleman 
stated that any investigation into the nature of the 
materials of the celestial bodies, was, of course, 
beyond the reach of man. And he was trying to 
see what grand attainments he could predict in 
the progress of science. Now, by means of spec- 
trum analysis, men distinguish iron, or hydrogen, 
or antimony, in the sun, or in the fixed stars a 
million times further off, just as well as a ship'-; 
captain reads the nationality of another ship, 
several miles distant, by viewing, through a spy- 
glass, the devices on the flag she carries. 

Voltaire tells as not to believe the Greek histo- 



24 REVIEW OF CLOCK STRUCK ONE. 

rians, who were present and related that the 
soldiers of Alexander the Great wondered at the 
rise and fall of the tides in the Indian ocean. 

It is the very thing, which a mind well disposed 
for the discernment of truth would believe. If 
otherwise, then such a mind would believe it, 
because of the character and position of the wit- 
nesses. The obstacle that blinds all skeptics in 
regard to exalted truth, is experience. They can 
not believe what is contrary to their experience 
and the uniform experience of mankind. Why, 
experience itself, as shown above, now compels 
us to believe things contrary to all experience ; at 
least, to hold our minds ready to believe them on 
sufficient proof. 

Those incredible results which physical science 
has accomplished in the material world, have 
prepared the minds of men for revelations of 
equally marvelous character in the spiritual 
world. In due order, the material development 
comes first. Then a corresponding advance in 
spiritual knowledge ought to follow. There are 
some indications that a window will soon be opened 
in heaven, which will largely extend the spiritual 
vision of mankind. Such a window was opened 
for the material world, when the telescope was 
perfected, and universal gravitation was demon- 
strated. And when lightning became man' s swift 
messenger between earth and cloud, and between 
the most distant quarters of the globe, a like 
opening was made for the instantaneous commun- 
ion of all human intellects. 

While we have absolute knowledge that many 
principles formerly asserted and taught as funda- 
mental truths, were false, we now assert many 
things as infallibly ascertained, which, in former 
ages were regarded as untrue and impossible. 

Reasonable, considerate persons, therefore, will 



MOSES AND THE PROPHETS. 25 

hear the most startling and amazing announce- 
ments, with a prudent reservation of judgment, 
rather than instant, inexorable contradiction. 
That man can never know or do this or that, will 
Seldom be received as an axiom. Yet, some peo- 
ple will make a summary and final disposal of 
the contents of this book on looking at the title- 
page only. 

It ought to appear in the most prominent place, 
that the Author believes and herein teaches no 
other things than Moses and the Prophets and 
Apostles witness. He believes that there is a 
world of spirits. The souls of men enter that 
world when the body dies. They preserve their 
identity, their faculties, tastes and mental habits, 
and continue to live much the same beings as they 
were at the end of their earthly career. They 
visit the scenes and the people of this earth, and 
communicate with men. Sometimes they are seen, 
sometimes they talk, and sometimes write, or com- 
municate by other means. The angels who, in 
the Bible, are represented as bearing messages 
and talking with mortals, are the spirits of just 
men made perfect, or qualified for this duty. 
People still living on earth have spirits especially 
assigned to them, to guard, help and minister 
unto them. Spirits have special interest in the 
loved ones whom they have left on earth, and they 
are sometimes appointed or permitted to watch 
over and comfort their favorites. The character 
and the happiness or misery of these spirits are 
determined by their conduct in their earthly life, 
but they are not assigned to their final destination, 
heaven or hell, until the Day of Judgment. They 
retain their memory, and recognize each other in 
the land of spirits. They enjoy certain advan- 
tages in the disembodied state, free passage and 
rapid locomotion, and enlarged intellectual capaci- 



26 REVIEW OF THE CLOCK STRUCK ONE. 

ties, and still make improvements. They are not 
omniscient, but limited in their sphere and power. 
They are immortal. In all this, there is nothing 
new or strange to any one who is acquainted with 
the Old Testament, the New Testament, or the 
Koran. 

What is new, is the assertion that the modern 
manifestations through raps, writings, circles, and 
other means and mediums, are the renewal or con- 
tinuation of those angelic, spiritual apparitions 
and communications recorded in the Bible. And 
this view of the facts is not entirely new and 
original with Mr. Watson. Modern Spiritualism 
began with the Rochester Knockings and the Fox 
girls, in 1848. Before that there was a system of 
speculation called Spiritualism, whose disciples 
held that all which exists is spirit, and that objects 
called material bodies are only impressions made 
on the spirit. 

Since the Rochester raps began, the phenomena 
have been greatly varied and extended, but they 
have all been attributed to spirits by those who 
believed in them, according to the vague but 
universal ideas of spirits which have always 
existed among men. All marvelous performances 
for which men could not account, were attributed 
to spirits, good or evil. The old Adversary often 
got the credit of these achievements, as when the 
first copies of the Bible were printed. Some works 
deemed too great or fine for human power or skill, 
were attributed to genii, fairies, brownies, war- 
locks, etc. If no such unearthly powers had been 
known or imagined, men would have had no 
answer to make to the questions raised by such 
mysterious phenomena. But full of the idea of 
spirits, whenever a mysterious apparition arose, 
they would say it is a spirit. The universal belief 
in a Divine Being among the tribes of earth, is 



SPIRITS IN SHAKESPEARE' s DRAMAS. 27 

taken as proof that there is a God. The belief in 
spirits is equally universal, and has ever been. 
The spirits in Macbeth, the Tempest, and Hanil.t. 
are professedly fictitious. So are many human 
persons in Shakespeare's dramas. But the intense 
and profound interest awakened in our minds by 
those characters, proves that they are true repre- 
sentations of beings such as men instinctively 
suppose to exist. 

So many of the works ignorantly attributed to 
spirits, have been clearly traced to physical causes, 
that enlightened people have generally concluded 
that all phenomena may thus be explained. Those 
who believe in the Bible as a true revelation, are 
bound to believe that spirits often appeared and 
wrought many works in the ages and scenes of 
biblical history. But it has been assumed that 
they take no part in secular human history, or in 
the present age. On this point, Mr. Watson makes 
a distinct issue. And according to the principles 
of logic and of the human understanding, he 
triumphantly maintains his position. ''King 
Agrippa, believest thou the scriptures ? I know that 
thou believest!" Then you believe that angels 
appeared to the patriarchs, priests, prophets, 
judges, apostles, men and women, and talked 
plainly, and did wondrously before them, some 
good, some evil. 

Nothing would be more difficult to maintain 
than that spiritual manifestations began and ended 
precisely with these instances related in the Scrip- 
tures ; that no others occurred during the same 
ages, and none have occurred since the revelation 
of Jesus Christ made to St. John. When the 
earliest angelic visitation is narrated, it is not given 
as a new and strange thing, and the last one 
described, is not presented as the last that should 
ever occur. Sad intervals there were when the 



28 REVIEW OF THE CLOCK STRUCK ONE. 

word of the Lord was rare, and there was no open 
vision. (1 Sam. 3: 1.) " Angels' visits were always 
few and far between," enongli to give them high 
significance ; and the messenger was often taken 
for a man. But they always came as if to main- 
tain God's system of communication with his 
human creatures. Was that system a mere tem- 
porary expedient ? We are authorized to believe 
still that Ck the angel of the Lord encampeth round 
about them that fear him and delivereth them." 
(Psalms 34 : 7.) " They are all ministering spirits 
sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs 
of salvation." If their appearance and voices 
have ceased, their mission has certainly continued. 
And while the burden of proof is on those who 
affirm a cessation of intelligible communications, 
the presumption and strong preponderance of 
evidence is in favor of their continuance. But it 
is not so clear that all the angels who minister to 
mankind, are the spirits of men, as Mr. Watson 
maintains. He seems to recognize the existence 
of other orders of celestial beings, but states as his 
belief the general proposition that the angels men- 
tioned in the Bible were once men. (P. 101.) 
Human spirits might well become God' s messen- 
gers, especially to men still dwelling in the flesh. 
There are indications that some of the angels of 
Scripture were such spirits, and the proof is 
strongest in regard to the last heavenly message 
recorded in the New Testament. "And I, John, 
saw these tilings and lieard them. And when I 
had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before 
the feet of the angel which showed me these things. 
Then saith he unto me, see thou do it not, for I 
am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren, the 
prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of 
this book. Worship God." (Rev. 22 : 8/9.) 



THE ANGELS. 29 

But other instances in which the angel is called 
a man, possibly indicate only that it was a man's 
form that appeared. An angel of the Lord 
appeared to Manoah' s wife. She called him a 
man of God, but asked not whence he came, 
neither did he tell her his name. He told Manoah 
that he was the man that had appeared to his wife. 
Manoah did not know he was an angel of the 
Lord, the speech was according to the appearance, 
and he may have thought only that he was the 
same person that had appeared before. The same 
construction will apply to several passages where 
angels are described as men. But in many pass- 
ages, angels, spirits, and men, are distinguished 
from each other. Man was made a little lower 
than the angels (Ps. 8 : 5), and obtained by inher- 
itance a more excellent name than they. (Heb. 1 : 
4.) For he took not on him the nature of angels, 
but he took on him the seed of Abraham. (2 ; 16.) 
God spared not the angels that sinned. (Pet. 2 : 
4.) Angels which are greater in power. The 
tongues of men and of angels. (1 Cor. 13: 1.) 
We are made a spectacle unto the world, and to 
angels and to men. (4: 9.) We are come to an 
innumerable company of angels, the general assem- 
bly and congregation of the first-born, and to the 
spirits of just men made perfect. The Sadducees 
say there is neither angel nor spirit. If a spirit or 
angel hath spoken to him. (Acts.) Either a man 
or a spirit may be sent with messages, and thus 
perform the office of an angel, though not belong- 
ing to the angelic order. A spirit passed before 
Elrphaz and delivered a solemn lecture, but it was 
in a dream. When the disciples saw Jesus walk- 
ing on the water, they are said to have thought 
they saw a spirit (more properly a phantom or 
phantasm). When he appeared to his disciples 
after his resurrection, they supposed tluy aad 



30 REVIEW OF CLOCK STRUCK ONE. 

seen a spirit, just as " superstitious " people in 
these days, conclude, when they see an unac- 
countable presence. This passage also contains 
an important definition. "For a spirit hath not 
flesh and bones as ye see me have." (Lu. 24 : 39.) 
They were frightened just as Eliphaz, the Teman- 
ite, was ages before. 

When the angel of the Lord delivered Peter from 
prison, he thought it was a vision, and did not 
realize the fact until he found himself in the open 
street. When the damsel announced that he was 
at the door of the house where many of his breth- 
ren were, they said, "It is his angel." They 
thought it impossible for his body to escape from 
prison. Angel, in this case, seems to mean spirit ; 
what the Romans called the shade, the simula- 
crum of the man. A similar use is made of the 
word in this passage : "In Heaven the angels 
do always behold the face of my father." (Mat. 18 : 
10.) These angels of little children have been inter- 
preted to mean their guardian angels, but it seems 
to mean their souls, their spirits. ' ' For in the resur- 
rection they neither marry nor are given in mar- 
riage, but are as the angels of God in Heaven." 
"Of such is the Kingdom of Heaven." Saul 
obtained an interview with Samuel after his death, 
but through an unlawful i ' medium. ' ' The image, 
the shade, the angel, or ghost of the deceased 
prophet, bore an exact likeness, in garb and feat- 
ure, to the corporeal original, which, doubtless, 
lay, at that moment, decaying in the tomb. These 
examples show that there were real visits and 
communications from the other world, through 
angels and spirits of deceased men ; they illustrate 
the ideas and belief of the Hebrews in regard to 
them, and they furnish a convincing argument in 
favor of the continuance of spirit intercourse after 
the times of the last sacred writers. And Ignatius, 



ANGELS — SPIRITS. 31 

a disciple of St. John, the divine, is said to have 
enjoyed such spiritual gifts. Many other instances 
are related in subsequent history. These we have 
generally rejected as fabulous, but they were not 
so treated by either side in the sharp controver- 
sies concerning the truth of Christianity in the first 
ages. If we learn to believe in spiritual intercourse 
from actual facts now incontrovertibly attested, 
many of the darkest problems of history will be 
solved, and the weakest points of our faith be 
made strong. But we must mark some peculiari- 
ties in the communications of spirits mentioned in 
the Bible. The messengers came almost invariably 
from God, and so announced themselves. They 
came to deliver commands and instructions of the 
highest importance. They often foretold future 
events. Their utterances were always infallible. 
Samuel is the only spirit who ever returned, after 
death, to speak to an acquaintance ; he brought 
no word from departed friends ; he did not say, 
"Thus saith the Lord," and he foretold future 
events. All these are points of difference from 
modern spiritual communications. The rich man 
begged father Abraham to send Lazarus back with 
a message to his brethren. But his request was 
denied ; they must hear Moses and the prophets. 
God had refused to answer Saul in any of the 
appointed ways, and his application to the medium 
of Endor was a sin. She was living in violation 
of Jaw. She was one of those who had familiar 
spirits — there were such, but the people of God 
were forbidden to consult with them. (Lev. 19 : 
31. Deut. 18: 10, 11, 12.) It appears that there 
were lying spirits. (1 K. 22: 23. Uohn4 : 1, 2, 3.) 
And this fact greatly increases the probability 
that these modern manifestations may proceed 
from spirits of some kind. While the theory thai 
the mysterious manifestations of the presenl day 



32 REVIEW OF THE CLOCK STRUCK ONE. 

are produced by the spirits of human beings no 
longer in the body, derives support from the 
Scriptures, the great and benevolent design which 
Mr. Watson discovers in these demonstrations is, 
that they give direct, tangible proof of the immor- 
tality of the soul. They make our vague and 
wavering faith in that fact a vivid realization, and 
thus strengthen our belief in the Bible, which 
brings life and immortality to light. For this 
purpose, it is desirable that the proof of the 
presence and power of intelligent spirits should 
be independent of the Bible. The proof offered is 
claimed to be of this character. 

The whole case rests on the identity of mind. 
This must be tested by the mode of mental action, 
and by the possession of knowledge and other 
attributes known to belong exclusively to the per- 
son whose identity is in question. It is not enough 
that the medium should give a response in writing, 
signed with the name of your departed friend, 
and that the message should have reference to 
matters known to himself and you, and should be 
otherwise appropriate. There must be expressions 
or allusions in it which no one but that friend 
could make, and no one but you and he could 
understand. Suppose a case entirely analogous 
and easily possible. Two persons had been on 
an island in the South Sea, completely cut off from 
communications with all other lands for twenty 
years (as was the case with the mutineers of the 
ship Bounty, and their descendants, 1789-1808). 
At last, two ships touch at the island, one bound 
for New York, and the other for London. The 
two men embark on these ships at the same time. 
Just before parting, the one going to New York, 
requests his friend to write him a letter as soon as 
possible after arriving in England, informing him 
whether his wife is still living, and whether it 



MUTINEERS OF THE SHIP BOUNTY. £3 

would be safe for him to return to his old home. 
The vessel bound to New York has been absent 
for years on a cruise, and this passenger, having 
fled from a criminal prosecution in England, holds 
little intercourse with other persons on board. 
After a slow voyage, he arrives in New York, and 
on registering his name at the hotel to which the 
letter was to be sent, is informed that there is a 
dispatch for him from London. He almost faints 
with fear and astonishment. He has never heard 
of the Atlantic cable, nor imagined it possible for 
a telegraphic connection to be established between 
Europe and America. His amazement increases 
on finding the name of his friend signed to the 
dispatch, and that it is dated the day before. But 
it says, "Your wife is alive and well. Justin 
Martyr, the only witness, is dead, and the prose- 
cution abandoned." He is convinced. He finds 
in the papers brought by mail, that the ship 
bound to London, arrived sometime before. He 
knows that his friend is on the other side of the 
ocean. He is sure that the message came from 
him by its address and purport. He believes in 
telegraphic intercourse between the Old and the 
New World, and that his friend has been mindful 
of his request. 

In this, it will be seen, there are possibilities of 
deception. A clerk in the telegraph office certain- 
ly wrote the message. But who furnished the 
information ? It is barely possible that his friend 
betrayed the whole secret, and framed a spurious 
message on the way, that the other person entrus- 
ted with the facts, got off from the London bound 
vessel, landed in America, ahead of him, and sent 
the dispatch to his address. The genuineness of 
messages from the Spirit-world is susceptible of 
a similar verification, with even less chances of 
deception. 



34 REVIEW OF THE CLOCK STRUCK ONE. 

A man still living in the flesh, goes to a medi- 
um, an operator of the spiritual telegraph, 
privately writes a message of inquiry addressed 
to a friend who has died. The dispatch is folded, 
so that no eye of flesh could see it, and laid on the 
table. An answer is produced on the spot, visibly 
written with a pen or pencil held by the medium. 
It is a response purporting to come from the 
person addressed in the folded paper, or from 
some other spirit, perhaps an acquaintance of 
both parties. It is pertinent to the matter men- 
tioned in the mortal's question. It may be a 
direct and full answer. It may be correct. It 
may show a regard for the inquirer appropriate 
to the relation of the two. 

These points, by the absolute laws of our intel- 
lects, compel us to conclude that the mind that 
dictates the response, knows the name and earthly 
relations of the inquirer, the contents of the secret 
note, and the facts relating thereto, as shown in the 
answer. But they do not necessarily imply that 
the mind that dictates the answer is the spirit 
of a person deceased. 

In order to identify beyond doubt, the spirit of 
the being to whom the inquiry is directed, and 
thus prove the actual existence of that spirit as a 
living intelligence and power, it is necessary that 
the response should contain points of identity 
which no human being on earth could exhibit; 
such as matters confined to the knowledge of the 
two parties communicating. 

There are several reasons for exacting this severe 
test. The medium might possibly know the name 
and history of the applicant, in spite of a strong 
conviction to the contrary. The contents of the 
folded paper might be read by clairvoyance, itself 
an unfathomed mystery. The medium may get 
into communication with the mind of the inquirer, 



THE MEDIUM. 35 

so us to possess his very thoughts, by mesmerism, 
animal magnetism, electro-biology, or whatever it 
is. Many have witnessed some mysterious action < >f 
one mind on another, not through the known 
corporeal channels. The inquirer may be thus 
unconsciously supplying answers to his own 
questions. There is a mental state in which a 
man carries on a colloquy with himself, making 
the replies of the other party in a different voice 
and style from his own. This generally occurs 
only in a disordered state of mind. The com- 
munications of " mystery" have occurred to me 
sometimes as, possibly, a reflection of the com- 
bined sentiments and ideas of the circle to whom. 
they are addressed. If the circle had been com- 
posed of Jews, would the same testimony have 
been given to the divinity of Jesus Christ ( Or, if 
they had been Mohammedans, or Heathens, or 
Infidels (See Acts 19 ; 13, 14, 15), we would still 
be at a loss to account for this reflex action of the 
mind except as we might refer it to Mesmerism, 
etc. Heavy objects are lifted, and musical instru- 
ments are played upon by powers equally mys- 
terious, a part of the same system of phenomena ! 
But all these facts are explained as well by sup- 
posing that the powers exerted belong to the living, 
as by attributing them to the spirits of the dead 
We must go back and look for marks of identity 
in secret signs and passwords, in knowledge con- 
fined exclusively to the two persons supposed 
to communicate, the living and the dead. We are 
fortunate in having the facts on which we reason 
verified beyond question. The lifting, moving 
force exerted, lias been subjected to the most rigid 
scrutiny and to scientific tests, by Home and 
others. Mr. Watson himself is a witness whose 
reliability in regard to facts is limited only by his 
liability to be deceived. My own acquaintance 



36 REVIEW OF THE CLOCK STRUCK ONE. 

and association with Mm have been limited, but 
his long established character in the Methodist 
connection and the testimony of numerous per- 
sonal friends, give as high assurance of his 
veracity as any living man, or any historian of the 
past, can claim. He is known especially as a 
practical man, a man of action and assiduous 
labor. His observation is keener and his judgment 
sounder, than those of the majority of men. It is 
true that, in making his statements, he does not 
exhibit that calm indifference to the anticipated 
contradiction of unbelievers, which characterizes 
the writings of the four evangelists, for he is not 
inspired ; but his motives for writing are appar- 
ently as worthy as those of any uninspired writer. 
While he confesses his belief, he challenges invest- 
igation, for which he submits numerous facts. 

He disclaims all connection with Modern Spirit- 
ualism, circles and seances, as they are understood, 
or misunderstood. But evidently the phenomena 
which have engaged his attention, must be classed 
with all those other performances and communi- 
cations which, being beyond the domain of known 
laws, physical, natural, mechanical, or mental, 
are attributed to spirits, with full assurance that 
all his statements of fact are made with perfect 
sincerity, and after much care taken to avoid 
mistakes, we propose to consider, critically, some 
of the manifestations which afford the strongest 
evidences of spiritual presence, power, and 
identity. 

In 1854, sounds were heard in Mr. Watson's 
house, by all the family, by day and by night. 
He felt the raps on the back of his chair, and even 
on his person. When locked alone in his closet, 
he felt the presence of some persons as sensibly 
as they could have been perceived by sight or 
touch. A servant girl said it was the children 



MANIFESTATIONS. 37 

who had died — that she often saw and talked with 
them. She had been their nurse, and she possessed 
that peculiar organization which constitutes a 
medium. She could hold a pencil with a pair of 
scissors, and it would write appropriate answers 
to mental, unexpressed questions. Miss Mary 
McMahon also professed to be the medium of 
writings done by a pen or pencil in her hand, but 
without her voluntary agency, and in chirography 
different from her own. A trial was made, and 
answers were written by the pencil in her hand, 
to questions formed only in Mr. Watson's mind. 
His inference was logical : ' ' Whatever controlled 
the pencil was cognizant of what was passing in 
his mind." Spiritual circles were then operating 
in Memphis, causing much excitement. In the 
spring of 1855, a select circle of persons of the 
most respectable character was formed, and a 
friend put Mr. Watson' s name in the list for the 
purpose of investigating the subject. 

The circle was met by an unknown intelligence, 
with whom they communicated, at first, by means 
of the alphabet, but how that was used we are 
not told. Miss Fisher, a pious young lady, was 
the medium. After the organization, a large table 
would move at the request of any one, Miss 
Fisher only touching it. One spirit only commu- 
nicated with them, and he would not give his 
name among mortals, but called himself "Mys- 
tery." He said he had lived several hundred 
years ago, and his works were well known to 
Bishop Utey. Possibly he lived before the time 
of Luther, for he taught a doctrine that greatly 
resembles the creed of the Roman Catholic Church, 
in regard to purgatory (P. 88). With this excep- 
tion, he imparted no knowledge and gave no 
advice, but such as might have come from the 
members of the circle. Possibly some of them 



38 REVIEW OF CLOCK STEUCK ONE. 

held the belief of an intermediate state after death, 
in which means are afforded for the wicked or 
undeveloped to progress to a better state. There 
are living men who profess this belief. But the 
teachings of Mystery were generally those of 
Christian Ministers. Not a word or sign was given 
by which he could be identified as an individual 
or a spirit. Possibly the minds and wills of all 
the persons combined, and acting in harmony 
through the medium, moved the table and caused 
the pen to write. In this there would be "mys- 
tery" enough, but no spirit of a departed person. 
The Author says, page 113 : "Our natural body 
telegraphs (through) its members, and we carry 
with us a mental atmosphere by which mind 
impresses mind." The interview with Dr. Mans- 
field, in 1860, was quite interesting. They had 
never seen each other so far as Mr. Watson knew. 
He secretly wrote the names of persons with whom 
he wished to communicate, his mother being the 
first. Instead of an answer from her, a message 
came addressed to "Bro. Watson," and signed 
" J. D. Andrews," the name of an intimate friend 
who had died some time before. He informs Mr. 
Watson that his mother was away on duty, but 
would be with him soon, and promises to satisfy 
him as far as possible of spirit communion. When 
called upon for something to prove his identity, 
Andrews says he recollects his labors in Dard- 
nelle, Dover, Augusta, and other places — that, 
in his spiritual home, he is sent to commu- 
nicate with mortals ; encourage his brother to 
persevere in spiritual investigations, and promises 
ultimate victory over all opposition. Then he 
sends a comforting message to his wife and child- 
ren. Then follow messages from the mother and 
father of Mr. Watson. A letter signed "John 
Newland Mafiit," came to another gentleman, in 



MANIFESTATIONS. 39 

place of one from his "Uncle Allen," which had 
been asked. 

The next example given, is a message dated 
November 12, 1871, from a son killed in the war, 
to his father who harbored too much resentment 
against the federal power. The communication 
comes through a pure, simple, honest medium 
incapable of deception. She knows nothing of 
Spiritualism, circles or seances, but in the quiet 
of her own room is controlled to write words of 
which she knows nothing while they are being 
written. Advice thus coming from the dead, has 
had the influence to cast out the foul spirit of 
revenge. These communications are long, earnest 
letters. The next specimens, and the most lucid 
and unequivocal of all. are those received through 
Dr. Mansfield, in New York, during May and 
June of the year 1872. But as I attempt to take 
hold of them to examine them with close criticism, 
I feel as if I were laying my hand on a charged 
electric battery, to discover the secret of its action. 
I am overpowered by the invisible spirit that 
eludes, yet paralyzes my grasp. However, let as 
assign to these communications explanations 
independent of spiritual agency, so far as such 
explanations are possible or conceivable by the 
human mind. Let us weigh every argument 
against attributing the work to spirits. 

It is possible, or conceivable, that Dr. Mansfield 
knew Mr. Watson, and had a list of his associates. 
The printed minutes of the conferences would 
furnish these, and also the names of the places 
where "Andrews" labored, and the time of his 
death. He was not prepared to furnish a suitable 
message from Mr. Watson's mother. But how 
did he get ready during that afternoon visit \ His 
father was not ready to write jnst then, bnt his 
name was properly signed to a message at that 



40 REVIEW, OF THE CLOCK STRUCK ONE. 

sitting. John N. Maffit's confession is just what 
any one might have given from some knowledge 
of hk history and character. He could speak 
when "Uncle Allen" could not. Those earnest 
admonitions to the unforgiving man could have 
been dictated by other persons as well as by his 
deceased son. They were written unconsciously 
by a lady. But who was in a position to dictate 
them ? 

Now, on page 181, May 22, 1872, Kev. Phillip 
Tuggle and Mr. Watson called on Dr. Mansfield, 
giving no names. The first asked if any body had 
any thing to say to him. Minerva Scruggs 
responded. We did not know her. He was 
informed that she was the wife of Phinehas T. 
Scruggs. Shall we suppose the medium knew 
Tuggle' s surroundings, and had Mrs. Scrugg's 
obituary in some Christian Advocate ? We must 
suppose that with his own knowledge and his 
reading of Mr. Watson's mind, he could frame 
the next message from Andrews ; and that from 
Charles Scott about Dixon and Poston and his 
daughter. 

On the 24th, Andrews appears instead of the 
deceased wife, and adds Clarksville and Richland 
to the list of places where he had preached, the 
time and place of his death — all possibly from the 
paper Mr. Watson edited in those days, the organ 
of that conference. 

In regard to the letter signed Mollie, that was 
the name by which she was known and called, 
almost exclusively, by her relations, but she was 
never f designated as "Mary," nor did she ever 
address her husband as "Samuel." (Informants 
intimate with the family are at hand.) 

To have constructed the letter from Poston, the 
medium must have known very thoroughly the 
history and opinions of that person, or Mr. Wat- 



MANIFESTATIONS. 41 

son's mind must have contained all the facts and 
been clearly legible to Dr. Mansfield. Poston had 
disbelieved Spiritualism as inconsistent with the 
Bible, and had expressed himself strongly on the 
subject. But after his death, in 1871 (through 
a gentleman in Memphis, who conversed with his 
departed neice), Mr. Watson had communicated 
with Poston, who recanted his opinion, and said, 
"Spiritualism is true and so is the Bible." Now 
these very words are repeated through Dr. Mans- 
field. Mr. Watson had never told them to any 
one, and there is no probability that the gentle- 
man in Memphis had told them. We are shut up 
to the conclusion that Dr. Mansfield read them in 
the mind and memory of Mr. Watson, or that the 
mind and spirit of Poston dictated them to be 
written by the medium. 

When Mr. Watson calls for Father McMahon, 
Lucy Leonora Winchester comes forward, the other 
being absent. She was prompted to speak by Dr. 
Gilbert, Major Winchester, and Lycur^us Gilbert. 
M. D., and says she has met -Mrs. Watson and 
others, thirteen in all. She had been amenuensis 
for the Spirit- world to the people of Memphis, and 
there had been prejudice against her, because her 
husband had formerly been married to a wife who 
was tinctured with African blood, and whose 
daughters are defrauded of their rights. This 
was a true history of the times referred to. Mr. 
Watson had never heard of the last name in her 
list of thirteen. Ignatius A. Spaulding, Col. Sam. 
Tate and W. B. Greenlaw knew him. The medium 
could not compose this message by reading Mr. 
Watson's mind, for Spaulding was not known to 
him. To have made it up from the history of 
Memphis, and the lists of its people living and 
dead, lie must have had an astonishing amount of 



42 REVIEW OF THE CLOCK STRUCK ONE. 

such statistics, and remembered them with aston- 
ishing readiness. 

The letters from Bettie and Allen disclose no 
more knowledge than the preceding, except Bet- 
tie' s allusion to Virginia Dixon. Maffit answers 
when Bishop Otey is called. The medium could 
give a message from Stephen Olin, but Otey was 
not present. 

Joshua Soule answered a question in regard to 
the forthcoming book, and reports Bro. Taylor's 
opinion that it would be the means of reuniting 
the North and South. However, Soule' s signature 
lacked the final letter. (It is pronounced Sole.) 

Next, Gen. Rivers responds in a letter which 
shows that the author of it knew Mrs. Minerva 
Scruggs was his sister, that he had two wives 
deceased, an "earth wife," Lucetta, still living, 
and that Mrs. Scruggs had a living daughter, 
Mollie Horton, who had lost her darling Mina. 
John Frazer next responds to a call made for 
Bishop Andrew, and refers to Dr. Gilbert to 
identify himself as a Methodist preacher. 

At the fourth interview, Dr. Gilbert was request- 
ed to give the opinions of himself, Mystery, Bishop 
Otey, and Dr. Howcott, of the book. The reply 
shows a knowledge that Judge Edmonds had 
named the book, and that Gilbert and others 
named, had met Judge E. and Dr. Wellington 
in circles, in early days. Dr. Seat' s reply shows 
that its author knew of the intimate relations and 
affection between him and Mr. Watson. But he 
had lived for years in New York. Then Otey 
and Howcott approve the matter and arrangement 
of the book. Mystery answers not. 

The letters from Mary and Wm. Henry, brother 
and sister, contain no distinctive marks. But it 
was not their habit to call their brother " Samuel," 
but "Brother Sammy." I knew Wm. Henry for 



, MANIFESTATIONS. 43 

years ; have often seen his writing. I do not 
recognize his style. I never knew his middle 
name was Henry, for he never signed it so within 
my knowledge. His brother knew this. How 
did the medium come to write Henry I 

Col. Samuel Tate's wife, being asked by her 
husband for the names of her associates, gives the 
"mother of your friend, Dr. Williams," in addi- 
tion to others already named. This communication 
was found in Mr. Watson's drawer, though Col. 
Tate said he had torn it up. He had never been 
in Mr. Watsons room, nor had the latter seen it 
before. Possibly Col. Tate had failed to take it 
among those he tore up, and Mr. Watson got it 
among his other messages. 

Stephen Olin repeats what Maffit said, that Olin 
and Wesley had influenced the production of the 
book. Dr. Seat answers for S. G-. Starks, and the 
brief note shows a knowledge that the author had 
induced Seat's widow to come and talk with him. 
She may have told the medium. 

A communication signed "Susannah," tells her 
son that it was the combined intiuence of Coke, 
the Wesley s, Channing, and others, that produced 
the stroke of the clock. But instead of the word 
clock, a picture of the clock was made by the pen- 
cil. Was it a correct portrait of the clock '. .An- 
other letter from "Mollie," sends messages to her 
children generally, but to none by name She 
sends a message from Brother Parsons, of Louis- 
ville, at his request. Parsons gives Brother Schon 
two "spirit raps,' for not speaking out boldly in 
regard to his opinions on Spiritualism in preach- 
ing his funeral sermon. 

The question was written, "Will my Sister 
Mary speak to her husband and childrenf" But 
the answer from Mollie said that she was not 



44 REVIEW OF THE CLOCK STRUCK ONE. 

present, but they are the constant watch — care 
of the dear wife and mother. 

C. B. Parsons, in his message, says no more 
than any one acquainted with his history, could 
have said. Poston's last message involves a 
knowledge of several particulars ; that Gen. Rivers, 
deceased, had a brother at Louisville, a deceased 
sister, Fannie Gillispie, two spirit-wives, Mary 
Ann and Elizabeth, and was a lawyer. A second 
dispatch from C. B. Parsons shows a knowledge 
that he and Mr. Watson had not met personally. 
Nearly all these communications show a deep 
interest in the book and the Author. They tell 
him that in publishing it, he is doing a great work 
which will cause many to rise up and call him 
blessed ; that for this work he has been raised up, 
preserved, trained and prospered. They highly 
commend the work, and the moral courage of the 
Author in publishing it. They predict for it a 
great sale and a wide influence. Indeed, they 
speak of it as destined to revolutionize men' s ideas 
and enlarge their knowledge in regard to the 
spiritual world. 

These are the ideas most likely to be referred to 
the Author on the supposition that the inquirer 
unconsciously opens his thoughts to the medium. 
It is certain to all who know him, that he would 
not voluntarily express such opinions. It is 
doubtful whether he thinks so highly of himself 
or his work. He expressly states that these 
spiritual opinions are fallible like those of mortal 
men. 

The medium might be willing to natter the 
Author, but he had not read any part of the book, 
and would scarcely stake his reputation and that 
of his spirits on the merits of an unknown book 
of an untried Author. 

What shall we say % What shall we think, or 



MANIFESTATIONS. 45 

believe, in regard to these evidences of spirit com- 
munion, apart from any revelation of spiritual 
existence in the Bible ? We cannot shut the book 
and say such phenomena have never occurred. 
Like the resurrection and miracles of Jesus, they 
are reported in an enlightened age and place, by 
unexceptionable witnesses who refer to many other 
witnesses still alive. 

In endeavoring to account for these things, 
without admitting the agency of spirits, we have 
been compelled to suppose either that the mediums 
had shrewdly gathered up the facts necessary to 
frame an appropriate answer, and produced them 
from memory; or that he had the power to read 
the secret dispatch through all the folds of paper, 
and to perceive the thoughts and facts that were 
in the mind and memory of the applicant. Some- 
times one supposition failed to account for the 
phenomena and sometimes the other failed. Some- 
times both together would scarcely suffice. Things 
were written of which the applicant had no knowl- 
edge. So it could not come out of his mind. A 
great number of minute particulars, names, and 
relations are written of private persons who had 
lived at a great distance, and who had long since 
died, which it was impossible for the medium to 
have known. The responses are given to questions 
which he could not j)Ossibly see with the natural 
eye, or questions only formed in the mind. But 
if we suppose such penetration into the secret 
thoughts and hidden writings for some cases, and 
such immense collection and ready memory of 
tacts in the natural way, coupled with power to 
read scaled letters for other cases; then behold, 
we have two feats, each of them more marvelous 
than the presence and action of spirits, and both 
together less adequate to account for the facts 
observed. 



46 REVIEW OF THE CLOCK STRUCK ONE. 

Many questions arise in our minds as to possi- 
ble errors or deception, which could be readily 
answered by the person who witnessed the 
phenomena. I have endeavored to raise every ob- 
jection which an exacting criticism could suggest, 
hoping that future discussion may either answer 
them, or confess them unanswerable. They only 
throw doubt on some cases of spiritual communi- 
cation, but they refute none. 

So stands the argument on the phenomena 
themselves, independently of any previous knowl- 
edge or revelation in regard to spirits. In propos- 
ing to account for these communications without 
spirits, we have freely supposed that the medium 
might be practicing a most deliberate and labored 
system of deception. But the known characters 
of the mediums to whom Miv Watson applied, 
renders this supposition untenable. The commu- 
nications say they are from spirits. The medium 
through whom they come, and the person to whom 
they are directed, say they are genuine and true. 

When we go back to the Bible, and find the 
existence and ministrations of spirits fully attested, 
that "there is a spirit in man," which lives and 
thinks and acts after the body dies, all is made 
easy and plain. 

St. Paul treats spiritual gifts as a reality. ' ' N"o w 
concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not 
have you ignorant. ISTo man speaking by the 
Spirit of God, calleth Jesus accursed, and. no man 
can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy 
Spirit. Now, there are diversities of gifts but 
the same spirit. But the manifestation of the 
spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For 
to one is given by the spirit the word of wisdom ; 
to another, the word of knowledge ; to another, 
faith ; to another, the gift of healing ; to another, 
the working of miracles ; to another, prophecy ; 



MANIFESTATIONS. 4? 

to another, discerning of spirits ; toanother, divers 
kinds of tongues; to another, the interpretation 
oftongues." A signal instance is given on page 163, 
of an intimate friend of Mr. Watson, being empow- 
ered to write in Hebrew and Chinese, languages 
of .which the man was wholly ignorant, and so 
remained ignorant. There was such a spiritual gift 
in Paul's time and afterwards. Sometimes other 
persons gifted as interpreters were necessary to 
make these tongues intelligible. 

The polyglot man was instructed to pray for 
power to interpret also. Many marvelous things 
are related in this book, which Mr. Watson will 
not allow to come under the definition of miracles. 
They are all divested of mystery, if not of wonder, 
by admitting the agency of spirits. To doubt 
them, we must set aside evidence which would 
prove any fact which the mind had not already 
determined to regard as impossible. The array 
of grave, pious, eminent men, who believed in the 
appearance of tin 1 spirits of men after the extinc- 
tion of bodily life, gives all the confirmation 
which such authority can give. Indeed, they 
state specific cases not resting on belief or opinion, 
but on their own knowledge. 

All these instances must be treated as we do the 
writings, the speaking in unknown tongues, the 
movement of "movables,'' the performance <>n 
musical instruments, etc. — we must either say 
these are the works of spirits, or we must seeK 
remoter and less adequate means to account for 
them. It is very true that men have generally 
held ideas of the condition of the spirit after death, 
not taught by the Bible or by its ablest expounders, 
as Mr. Watson shows. Pe<>p]<> imagine the spirit 
goes from the body straight to heaveu or Dell. 
Hell generally means the tomb, the place of the 
dead ; and that is bad enough to those who have 



48 REVIEW OF THE CLOCK STRUCK 01N~E. 

no hope of life beyond. But our Savior does not 
tell people they will go to hell for their sins, but 
that they will be cast out into outer darkness, and 
other like expressions. He does not promise, as 
the great boon to be gained by obedience, that we 
shall go to heaven. But that we shall have life, 
eternal life, that we shall see and enter the King- 
dom of Heaven, or the Kingdom of God ; that he 
will come again, and we must be ready for his 
coming and his kingdom. He tells of the " resur- 
rection," the "'regeneration," the "restitution of 
all things." The Holy City comes down from God 
out of heaven. The repentant thief was to be with 
him in paradise. The souls of the martyrs under 
the altar, were told that they must wait until their 
successors should complete their numbers and 
their testimony. Heaven, in the Bible and in all 
other books, is the region where the birds fly, 
where the clouds float, where the sun, moon and 
stars are seen. And, figuratively, it means the 
realm where the imperfections of earthly things do 
not exist, and where the will of God is done more 
completely than here, at present — as the throne of 
God. This true location of the spirits of the dead, 
favors the idea of their presence and ministration, 
while the false theory, that they go immediately 
to their final heaven or hell, is against it. 

In several of his minor deductions, Mr. Watson 
seems not to be so well supported. We see not 
why the angel that showed things to John is called 
one of the oldest prophets (p. 54), or why the 
angels who shouted for joy at the creation, should 
not still appear bright and young at the resurrec- 
tion of Christ. He could, with perfect propriety, 
be called a young man, because he looked so. 
Men were not frightened at the visitations of angels 
where they appeared as men and were taken for 
men. But Daniel was overpowered with some of 



MANIFESTATIONS. 49 

his visions, and Peter was frightened at the trans- 
figuration. The angel was "like the the simili- 
tude of the sons of men," or, "like the appear- 
ance of a man." 

"There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual 
body. ' ' Mr. Watson considers that the spirit that 
sometimes appears to a mortal, is the spiritual 
body. But St. Paul was describing the form and 
body in which the dead shall come forth at the 
resurrection. These visible forms are exactly like 
those of the persons, before death, for by this they 
are recognized. But when the body is raised incor- 
ruptible, a spiritual body, it will be different, 
though, doubtless, recognizable. 

On the whole, no principle of logic or evidence, 
requires us to reject the system of belief developed 
by this book, and to dispose of the facts stated in 
it without accepting the perceptible demonstrable 
agency of spirits, some new rules of logic and 
evidence must be promulgated. These are the 
views of one who never saw a ghost or apparition 
of mysterious character, who never witnessed tin* 
action of a medium, never heard a voice or sound 
that might have come from the Spirit- world, and 
never attended any seance. I have been taught 
that spirits never appear, and my experience has 
confirmed my teaching. I can not avow my 
absolute conviction that the spirits of the departed 
did impart those messages according to their pur- 
port, rather because I cannot fully realize all the 
Tacts (which yet I have no reason to doubt), and I 
do not comprehend all the conditions under which 
those messages were delivered, than from any 
defect in the evidences and arguments, or from 
any disagreement with the teachings of the Bible, 
in which I do firmly believe. 

An article lately appeared in the New York 
Herald, distinctly asserting that man dies as tl»" 



50 REVIEW OF THE CLOCK STEUCK ONE. 

beast dies, and that forever ends his career and 
his consciousness, and this from certain passages 
in the Old Testament, and from animal and phys- 
ical analogy. Many hold such belief. Many who 
believe in man's immortality cannot realize it 
sufficiently as a truth. Nearly all would like to 
have more direct proof of the fact. The life, the 
condition, and the enjoyments of spirits are all 
too vague and distant in the popular mind. All 
these wants are supplied, if the main positions of 
this book are made good. 

The Author is sure that they will be received as 
established truths. Angels are ascending from 
earth and descending to it, on the same ladder. 
Messages are sent by electric signals both ways at 
the same time, on the same wire. 

There are persons who profess to give the commu- 
nication between men still in the flesh, and spirits 
of deceased men. We cannot speak with spirits at 
will, anywhere, though they may be near us. We 
must go to where there is a "pneumatic" com- 
munication open. Electricity is ever present, but 
we must go to the telegraph office, to use it as our 
messenger. It runs freely over iron or copper, but 
glass and caoutchouc are impassable bairiersto it. 
Some say they have their spiritual vision opened, 
as Elisha's servant's eyes were opened, and as 
Stephen's were, just before his martyrdom; and 
some say they are conductors of spiritual thought 
and energy between the visible and the invisible 
world. We know not how these things are, as we 
know not why glass will not let the electric current 
pass as well as iron. There is more truth in this 
book than any one will appropriate on a first and 
second reading. Perhaps future discussion and 
investigation will enable us all to know whether 
these things are so. 



51 



REPLY TO REVIEW 



OF 



THE CLOCK STRUCK ONE AND CHRISTIAN SPIRITUALIST. 



The able review which I have copied, takes a 
very fair view of this subject, for one who has 
never had any practical demonstration of its truth. 
He makes an admission which is verv obvious to 
those who have not shut their eyes to these things. 
He says, "If we have to believe spiritual inter- 
course from actual facts now incontrovertibly 
settled, many of the darkest problems of history 
will be solved, and the weakest points of our faith 
made strong." Does not every one who is at all 
conversant with the history of nations in every 
age, know that reference is made to such manifes- 
tations in some form or other, by all who have 
given us the history of any people? Was not the 
great influence exercised over the enlightened 
nations of Greece and Rome, by their "oracles/" 
accomplished through this instrumentality 1 
There is no other rational way, I think, of account- 
ing for those intellectual nations being governed 
and controlled by their "gods," than the agency of 



52 

departed spirits who acted through their oracles. 
The expression of the opinion that " The doctrine 
of immortality must ultimately rest upon proof, 
or be rejected." "The tendency of the present 
age is to reject every thing which can not be 
demonstrated. Hence, I think God has given us 
these things that all may know the truth. If all 
the phenomena attending the modern movement 
be accounted for on psychological grounds, with- 
out the intervention of spirits, ancient phenomena 
will have to pass the same ordeal, and receive the 
same sentence by scientific men. Little as some 
may think of it, who ridicule, these things, there 
is more at stake than they have ever imagined. 
Whatever psychological law will account for in 
voluntary polyglot speaking and writing modern- 
ly, will account for the speaking in unknown 
tongues anciently, with those who doubt the direct 
inspiration given anciently. Whatever psychologi- 
cal law will account for the apparitions, or seeing 
of spirit-lights, hearing of music, and all those 
phenomena attested by millions, will account for 
similar things recorded in the Bible." This has 
constituted the strongest objection that has been 
made to "Clock Struck One," by a class of 
religionists. In order that all may see what I said, 
I will copy it : 

" Having proven, as I think, that the doctrine 
of intercourse between the natural and spiritual 
world is clearly taught in the Bible under every 
dispensation, and having shown it to have been 
the belief of the early Christians, as well as the 



SPIRIT INTERCOURSE. 53 

churches of the present time, the question now is, 
Can it be demonstrated that communications are 
now being made ? I take the affirmative of this 
question. It is, as I conceive, but one step further 
than the universal belief of the church in all ages. 
Before giving the reasons for my belief, it may be 
well to inquire, Is there not a necessity for some- 
thing more tangible than the world has had of 
immortality \ Is it not true that the pursuit of 
science has a materializing influence over a large 
portion of those who are engaged in such studies? 
Does not the human mind require to be moved by 
far different powers than those which rule the 
world of thought at the present time? Science 
tends to make men selfish and calculating, while 
religious dogmatism takes them further and 
further from the true and simple grounds of faith. 
Is there not a necessity for a return, on the part 
of the churches, to the belief of the earliest 
Christians in direct and undisputed spirit com- 
munion, and that it should not be regarded as at 
all miraculous in its nature, but a matter of 
ordinary experience and the sure evidence of 
religious faith % The world confesses to the same 
thing on every side. Almost every where is to be 
found a deadness of faith, and profession without 
practical belief. I know that faith is powerful in 
its influence on the soul ; but the time has come 
when even faith must be strengthened and rein- 
forced by actual knowledge. This want has been 
fully met in my own cast* for nearly a score of 
years. It has supplied that knowledge which I 



54 REPLY TO REVIEW, ETC. 

so much desired, and given vital efficacy to my 
faith, which nothing else could have done. 

"This comes, too, at the time it is most needed. 
Its office is to redeem mankind, who are blinded 
by Materialism. To deny the return of persons 
who once lived here would, in my opinion, give 
to the Jewish dispensation the advantage over the 
Christian in this matter. There has been a gradual 
unfolding of the plans and purposes of God from 
the patriarchal age to the present. I believe that 
he designs this to be the means by which the last 
vestige of materialistic infidelity is to be driven 
from the world, and to greatly facilitate the time 
when the knowledge and glory of God shall cover 
the earth, and all flesh together see and rejoice in 
the salvation provided for the whole human family. 
I believe there is one simple truth to be demon- 
strated by these things ; that is, man' s immortality. 
No new revelation, no new doctrine or principle 
relative to the relation between the Creator and 
the creature, is designed by these things. There- 
fore, those who rely upon what they may have 
received as coming from spirits teaching anything 
contrary to the Bible, are deceived. This is what 
I have always been taught, and is what I most 
sincerely believe. I can not question the phenomena 
any more than I can any other facts of which my 
senses are capable of judging. There is, perhaps, 
as great a diversity of opinion in regard to some 
things in the spiritual as in the natural. Nor 
could I believe what comes from the former as 
readily as from the latter." 



SPIKIT INTERCOURSE. 55 

"The spirit of free inquiry is abroad in the 
world. There is special earnestness manifested in 
a critical analysis of the Bible and its claims to 
supernatural origin. The open Atheist, who scoffs 
at mystery and miracles, and professes to believe 
nothing that he cannot analyze, is puzzled at these 
manifestations. Skepticism arising from the gen- 
eral stimulus of thought is not so formidable an 
enemy of the Christian religion as many suppose. 
It is a salutary phase of the ordinary evolution of 
the mind. By detecting and exposing error, it 
prepares the way for the advent of truth. Power- 
ful and aggressive as it is, I think its mission is 
drawing to a close. The means an 4 already being 
prepared by which the human mind, however 
cultivated and scientific, shall be elevated to a 
higher and purer light than has ever been shed 
upon it. Difficulties which have been considered 
insurmountable will be removed, obscurities will 
be explained and reconciled, the skeptic silenced, 
and the Christian enlightened, when revelation is 
seen as a perfected whole. Divine truth shall burst 
forth with new glory from the spiritual sense of the 
holy word of God. The church has executed its 
commission according to the letter of that word. 
Its tendency, however, has been to formalism. 
Not only the Romish, but the Protestant Churches 
have trusted too much in the imposing forms and 
ceremonies of their religious worship. The human 
mind has arrived at that stage of progression when 
it bursts the bonds of literal or sensuous interpre- 
tation of the Word of Life. There are aspirations 



56 

for that which is above the old methods of interpre- 
tation, which were necessary in former times. This 
inevitable warfare between the spirit and the letter 
will cease with a complete victory of the former. 
'The letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.' In 
its triumphs it will enlighten, revive, purify, and 
bless the church by light from heaven. There will 
be no new revelation, but the opening of the seals, 
which have hidden from our eyes the spiritual 
sense of the Word of God.' 

' ' The credibility of the Christian religion depends 
greatly upon the universality of the laws and 
principles upon which it is founded. What was 
done two or four thousand years ago, under simi- 
lar conditions, can be done now. If we believe 
that Jacob, Moses, Ezekiel, or John, had visions 
of angels, we must admit it to be possible for per- 
sons to have similar visions in the present age. If 
Paul was carried up to the third heaven while still 
living in the body, why may not others thus have 
their spiritual eyes opened to see the paradise of 
God ? These things, I think, are being repeated, 
with the necessary modifications, beneath the 
critical eyes of philosophy and science. 

"If the theology and psychology of the Bible 
are true, of which we have not the slightest doubt, 
then these things, stupendous as they may at first 
seem, are not only practical and credible, but 
irresistible. The sincere Christian should hail 
them with joy as the time spoken of by our Lord, 
when we should see the angels of God ascending 
and descending. Revelation has its successive 



MAX I FESTATIO N 8 . 57 

steps and degrees, one unfolding out of and found- 
ed upon the other. Theology, when properly 
understood, and science are both from God. 
Hence, there can be no conflict, the one with the 
other. It is ignorance of one or the other which 
makes some believe there is antagonism between 
them. There is really no mystery, but ignorance. 
The vast volume of nature, spread out before us, 
when properly understood, and the revelations 
God has made in his Word, harmonize with each 
other. Science and true theology are married. 
The truths of each are written upon their face, to 
those who have discernment enough to discover 
them. 'He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.' 
He that hath eyes to see, let him see what is now 
being effected by the instrumentalities of these 
manifestations. It is only from a spiritual stand- 
point that we are prepared to understand and 
appreciate these heavenly truths, which are in 
harmony with the same truths and principles 
recorded in the Bible." 

Our reviewer, speaking of the angels' visits to 
man, says : u The messengers came almost invaria- 
bly from God, to deliver commands and instruc- 
tions of the highest importance." This I frankly 
admit. It was through the instrumentality of angels 
that God revealed himself under the Patriarchal, 
Mosaic, and Prophetic dispensations of the Old 
Testament. 

These spiritual manifestations do not profess a 
claim to be from God, but from human beings like 
ourselves, who have passed the veil which separ- 



58 EEPLY TO REVIEW, ETC. 

ates the natural from the spiritual world. Their 
mission is not a revelation from God. " Their 
utterances" are not "always infallible." Far 
from it. There are obvious reasons why they 
should not be. I know of no one in either world 
who makes such claims for them. 

Again, "Samuel is the only one whoever 
returned after death, to speak to an acquaintance. 
He brought no word from departed friends. He 
did not say ' thus saith the Lord,' and he foretold 
future events. She was living in violation of law ; 
she was one of those who had familiar spirits. 
There were such, but the people of God were 
forbidden to consult with them (Lev. 19 : 21. 
Dent. 18: 10, 11, 12)." 

Our reviewer follows the beaten track of all the 
writers on this subject, who have noticed the book. 
The reader will pardon me for devoting more space 
to this old Israelitish law than I think it demands. 
It seems to me singularly strange, that intelligent 
persons have conscientious scruples in regard to 
spiritual communion with loved ones, because 
there was an old, obsolete statute, for obvious rea- 
sons then existing, for prohibiting the consulting 
of the dead. 

Let us look at the writings of Moses and of that 
dispensation. What was it? Any thing of a 
spiritual character? Was there any of these 
statutes that had reference to a future state of 
existence ? Is there any proof that he taught in 
the five books attributed to him, the immortality 
of the soul, or the resurrection of the body 1 Do 



WRITINGS OF MOSES. 59 

any of the penalties which are annexed to a 
violation of any of these statutes have the slightest 
reference to a future state ? Are they not all for 
the Israelites, just emancipated from several 
hundred years of slavery 1 And does the author 
intimate that they are for any other people than 
those for whom they were originally designed? 
These, I know, are questions more easily asked 
than answered, yet they are worthy of the serious 
consideration of honest inquirers after the truth as 
revealed in the Bible. The penalty annexed to 
the violation of this statute is the same as it is in 
regard to, perhaps, hundreds of things mentioned 
from the third to the twenty-eighth chapter of 
Leviticus, and from the twelfth chapter of Deut- 
eronomy, which commences thus : " These are the 
statutes and judgments which ye shall observe 
to do, in the land which the Lord God of thy 
fathers giveth thee to possess it," to the thirty- 
third chapter. It will be seen that they were given, 
not only to a "peculiar people," but for a specific 
"land," and, I may add, for a special purpose, 
which, I think, can not have the least reference to 
this age of the world. "The soul that turneth 
after such as have familiar spirits," was to be 
" cut off from among his people." 

The same penalty is annexed to " eating unleav- 
ened bread," "taking a gift," " respecting per- 
sons," "planting groves," "multiplying horses.*' 
"silver and gold," "neither shall he multiply 
wives unto himself." I would ask how David, 
the "man after God's own heart/' and Solomon, 



60 EEPLY TO REVIEW, ETC. 

kings of Israel, kept these later statutes ? I will 
not answer, but refer the reader to their history 
as given in the Bible. Yet the statute says (Levi 
18: 29), " For whomsoever shall commit any of 
these abominations, even the souls that commit 
them, shall be cut off from among the people." 
It seems to be the main object of those who have 
written against these manifestations, to convince 
Christians that it was interdicted by the Bible. 
Though there may be some recapitulation, I will 
copy what I said on this subject, in reply to the 
other reviewers of "Clock Struck One :" "The 
great leading feature in them was, that it was a 
violation of an old Israelitish law, the penalty of 
which had been done away, but that it was still 
wrong to consult the dead. This is the ' first and 
all-pervading feature' in Dr. Jones' review. It 
forms the basis of every review I have seen on this 
subject, and is worthy of the serious and prayer- 
ful consideration of every honest inquirer after 
truth. The great point on which all the writers 
concentrate their batteries is, that it is sinful or a 
violation of the Mosaic law to have any communi- 
cation with the departed. Yet it is admitted that 
it is almost, if not entirely, universal among man- 
kind, to desire to know something of the land 
beyond the boundaries of time. Uod has given 
us this desire. It is part and parcel of our nature, 
implanted within us by the author of our being. 
We often hear from the pulpit this argument, that 
God has given us desires for immortality, and that 
he would not have given us those longing aspira- 



GOD HAS PROVIDED FOR MAN. 61 

tions had he not made provision for their reali- 
zation." 

" By this same parity of reasoning, we conclude 
that this universal desire to know (which my friend 
in his sermon admitted) can and will be gratified 
to those who will honestly and patiently use the 
means which God and nature have provided for 
that purpose. The principle of telegraphy has 
been in existence since creation, yet the man has 
just died who made the discovery. And even 
now you have to go to the telegraph office to send, 
and from that office receive messages. Would 
unbelief in, or condemnation of it, affect the truth 
of the principle or practice of those who comply 
with the conditions \ So, there are millions in our 
own country who enjoy this communion with 
loved ones departed and know for themselves the 
truth of these things, as well as those who use the 
telegraph and communicate with their friends 
across the ocean. Those are thousands of mi Irs 
away. These are around us, in close proximity 
to us, and manifest themselves to the senses, 
demonstrating their identity beyond the possibil- 
ity of delusion. Nor do they believe they are 
violating any law, or acting contrary to any pre- 
cept that has any reference to this age or dispen- 
sation. They do not believe they are living under a 
statute made in the wilderness for an ignorant and 
superstitious people just emerging from several 
hundred years of slavery, but in the Latter part of 
the nineteenth century, when light and immor- 
tality have been brought to light by the 



62 KEPLY TO REVIEW, ETC. 

They believe that we are on the eve of the time 
when the soul' s immortality will be demonstrated 
to all ; when the veil which separates the two 
worlds will, to a great extent, be removed ; when 
onr friends who have passed over the river will 
manifest themselves in open daylight in a more 
tangible form than many now believe to be possi- 
ble. They can not be argued or ridiculed out of 
the belief, knowledge, or the enjoyment of the 
most distinguished privilege ever conferred upon 
man, by those who, if the laws of the land permit- 
ted, would persecute those who thus believe, as 
some have done in this land of gospel light and 
Christian liberty. That day has passed, never to 
return, practically, though some have manifested 
the same spirit which characterized those who put 
others to death because of a difference of opinion. 
Truth is what I am seeking, with a sincere desire 
to obtain it. I have read over several times what 
has been published by my reviewers, and have 
found nothing to shake my faith in the least, yea, 
knowledge relative to the facts and principles set 
forth in the book. 

' ' It has seemed to me that they have carefully 
avoided touching upon these only to criticise or to 
ridicule. The latter is a formidable weapon after 
an antagonist has been defeated by fair argument, 
but an unfair one until that has been done. I 
appeal to those who have read them, if they have 
by fair argument answered the book. Have these 
gentlemen investigated this subject as honest men 
desiring to know the truth ? Nay, verily, they 



LIGHT IS BREAKING. 63 

are afraid it is a necromancy, which is in violation 
of an old Israelitish law, which has been obsolete 
thousands of years. Not one of them who does 
not live in the daily violation of some of the 
statutes of this same law, made originally for a 
people surrounded by idolatrous nations, with a 
natural tendency themselves to idolatry. What 
was forbidden them for wise purposes in that age 
may not have the least application to the present 
age and dispensation. Are we to dwell in the 
wilderness of Sinai, or are we come ? as the apostle 
says, Hebrews, xn : 22, ' But ye are come unto 
Mount Sion, unto the city of the living God, the 
heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable com- 
pany of angels, to the general assembly and 
church of the first-born which are written in 
heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the 
spirits of just men made perfect." If this is where 
we are, let us look at this question from that 
standpoint as the only one from which we can 
look understandingly as to its bearing upon the 
present age of the world. 

" ' Watchman, what of the night?' said one in 
olden time. The night is disappearing, the day 
is dawning, light is breaking forth all over the 
world, and that which has been supposed to be 
invisible appears in sight, and loved ones are Been 
with ' mortal eyes.' ' We are not under the law,' 
says St. Paul, who was a .lew, but we are under 
the gospel by which life and immortality such as 
the Israelites never dreamed of have been brought 
to light. 



64 EEPLY TO REVIEW, ETC. 

" There are, perhaps, hundreds of statutes given 
in the wilderness to the Israelites that can not have 
the least reference to our day and time, having 
become obsolete even before the Christian dispen- 
sation. There has been no observance of them by 
the Christian Church in any age or nation. Why, 
then, do we hear so much about these regulations 
made for this people in that dark age of the world? 
If this statute had not been abrogated, should we 
not have heard something of it in the New Testa- 
ment % So far from it, from the commencement to 
the close of this revelation, we have the recorded 
evidence of spiritual communication with mortals. 

" ' It is undoubtedly very sincerely believed by 
many that the Bible is strong in its condemnation 
of these things. They understand Deut. xviii : 
10, 11, as prohibiting all intercourse with the 
dead. At least, I have seen it in the public prints 
so quoted ; and I am willing to grant all that can 
be legitimately claimed for it, viz : that it did for- 
bid the Jews from ' seeking unto those that have 
familiar spirits or unto the dead ;' and what then % 
Will it follow that it is wrong for us to receive com- 
munications from glorified spirits if God pleases 
to grant them % ' But God would not grant what 
he has forbidden, and therefore these things can 
not be a grant from heaven ; if there is any thing 
superhuman in them, they must be from the evil 
one.' This is sound logic, and I think the following 
equally sound : If God has permitted glorified 
spirits to communicate with their friends on earth, 
He has not forbidden it, and those who apply this 



ETC. 65 

passage to these things misapprehend its original 
design. This throws us upon a posteriori proof ; 
we must, notwithstanding this passage, examine 
these things and test their character and origin 
before we are prepared to judge. But let us look 
a little more closely into the bearing of this pass- 
age upon spiritual manifestations. The question 
is not, Did it forbid the Jews from seeking unto 
the dead ; but does it forbid us from receiving 
communications from disembodied spirits ? Nor 
do I believe, because a precept is found in their 
law, that, therefore, it is binding upon us; for 
then I should not dare to eat swine's flesh, nor 
leavened bread on certain days, nor to do many 
other things which I, in common with all Chris- 
tians, am in the daily habit of doing. We are to 
look into the moral reasons of those laws, and if 
they are now the same as then, they are binding 
upon us ; if not, they have passed away as ' con- 
trary to us,' and are of no more force. The bulk of 
the Jewish law has ceased to be of force, not by 
direct repeal, but by the cessation of the reasons 
of its enactment. The question then recurs, What 
were the reasons of this command % And are those 
reasons existing with us? If not, the law has 
passed away. We may not be able to develop all 
the reasons of that law, but I think the following 
are plain : 

"1st. The age in which this command was given 
was nn age of revelations ; and the people to whom 
it was given, the people chosen to be its deposi- 
taries; and during the continuance of this age, 



66 

God dwelt sensibly among them, and could be 
directly appealed to on all questions, and answers 
received by Urim, and Thummin, and prophets. 
There was, therefore, no need of communications 
from the disembodied, yet finite. The Infinite 
was there, speaking through the mouths of the 
prophets, the breastplate of the High Priest, and 
from between the wings of the Cherubim. 

" 2dly. That people had an almost unconquer- 
able tendency to idolatry; this is written upon 
almost every page of their history. And notwith- 
standing all the demonstrations of the Supreme 
Godhead and power of Jehovah, how often did 
they forsake Him, and go in pursuit of other gods! 
This tendency was so strong, that God even hid 
the body of Moses, lest his bones should be deified 
by them. Is it likely that in a people so given to 
this crime, all the wonders Jehovah wrought 
among them could not restrain them from it, they 
could have been restrained from paying supreme 
homage to glorified spirits, had they been sent to 
communicate among them % It seems to me the 
character of that people was such, as we gather it 
from their history, that such manifestations would 
have completely defeated their object, and, instead 
of leading them to God, would have led them 
further away from Him. God fully understood 
this, and therefore, 

" 3dly, Would not allow good spirits to com- 
municate with them. And hence, if they had any 
spiritual communications, they would be from 
wicked, lying spirits, styled in this scripture, 



CHRIST AND SPIRIT INTEBCOURSE. 67 

'familiar spirits" How forcible, then, the rea- 
sons for this command upon them, and how 
evident that it is wholly inapplicable to ns. The 
case of Saul (1 Sam. xxviii), which is, I believe, 
always, or at least generally, referred to in con- 
nection with this, as it involves the same principles 
as the command, falls with it. There are a num- 
ber of other reasons which clearly disprove the 
applicability of these Scriptures to the case in 
hand, but I waive them. For all of them can not 
equal the following : That that command — unlike 
most of the Jewish statutes — which a Christian 
minister would blush to insinuate were still in 
force, has been formally repealed. I suppose it 
will be conceded that the teaching of Christ's 
actions is as forcible and binding as the teaching 
of his words, and that it is right to ' walk as he 
walked,' and to ' follow in his steps;' and that 
so much of that law as was disregarded in his 
actions was repealed, and of no more binding 
force. Now it is a fact, recorded by three of the 
evangelists, that Christ did hold intercourse with 
the righteous and glorified dead. See Matt, xvn : 
3 ; Mark ix : 4 ; Luke ix: 30. This I must regard as 
decisive. And I am by no means sure but that our 
Savior had his eye upon these latter-day manifesta- 
tions, and, to take this obsolete law out of the 
mouths of gainsayers, summoned Moses and Elias 
from heaven, and displayed them to his disciples, 
conversing with him. And should I go farther, and 
claim for that display a special reference to these 
tilings, I should fail to rival many, both of the 



68 REPLY TO REVIEW, ETC. 

ancients and moderns, in spiritualizing the Scrip- 
tures. For why were they conversing with Christ ? 
Surely not to give Him information or encourage- 
ment, for this He received from a higher source. 
Why, then, were they there? May it not have 
been to type the privilege of His church in the 
latter days, and the assistance that they should 
have in their efforts to evangelize the world. Oh! 
let me entreat you, brother minister, to bathe your 
heart thoroughly and deeply in the glories of 
Tabor ere your pulpit resounds with denuncia- 
tions against these things, or your people are 
treated with a homily on Saul and the Witch of 
Endor, and the obsolete and repealed statute of 
Deuteronomy xvin : 10, 11." 

This is an important question to settle. To 
whom was this Mosaic law given, and under 
what circumstances and surroundings \ These are 
important to a proper understanding of the sub- 
ject. If we turn to the twelfth chapter of Deuter- 
onomy we will find it written: "These are the 
statutes and judgments which ye shall observe to 
do in the land which the Lord God of thy fathers 
giveth thee." Thus we see it has none of the 
characteristics of the moral law given to Moses 
from Mt. Sinai. One was for a particular nation 
in "the land," the other of universal application 
to all people in all ages of the world. This was 
the law that Jesus said he " come not to destroy, 
but to fulfil." 

If this Israelitish statute was of the nature that 
the reviewers think, it seems to me that it should 



DREAMERS TO BE KILLED. 69 

have been put in the Decalogue, and not among 
hundreds of tilings which we know pertain only 
to that age and people. There was a tendency 
upon their part to return to Egypt. This was, 
perhaps, the reason why they were forbidden "to 
multiply their horses." Their tendency to super- 
stition may have been the reason why this statute 
was given : "The dreamer of dreams shall be put 
to death ; thou shalt surely kill him." "If there 
arise among you a prophet or a dreamer of 
dreams, that prophet or that dreamer of dreams 
shall be put to death," Deut. xiii: 1, 5. Now 
read in the prophet Joel what he says, having, 
doubtless, reference to the Christian dispensation, 
as St. Peter says on the day of Pentecost, Acts iv : 
16, 17: "But this is that which was spoken by 
the prophet Joel : And it came to pass in the last 
days, saith God, I will pour out of my spirit upon 
all flesh ; And your sons and your daughters 
shall prophecy, and your young men shall see 
visions, and your old men shall dream dreams." 
God is said to be the author of both of these. 
How can they be reconciled only by admitting 
the ceremonial law had reference only to the 
Israelites % Who supposes that their law relative 
to slavery was designed to be perpetual \ Xone, 
I presume. The master could kill his slave and 
not be punished for it. Their idolatrous proclivi- 
ties were doubtless the cause of this : " Thou shalt 
not plant a urove of any trees near unto the altar 
of the Lord thy God." "Neither shall he multiply 
wives to himself. Neither shall he greatly multi- 



70 EEPLY TO REVIEW, ETC. 

ply to himself silver and gold." I would just ask 
how this statute was kept by David and other 
good kings of Israel ? 

We do not wish to exhaust the patience of the 
reader by referring to these old, obsolete laws, 
which were never kept even by the persons for 
whom they were made, and never intended for 
this dispensation. I shall consign them to those 
for whom alone, as I conceive, they were designed 
— God, as St. Paul says, " having provided some 
better things for us" who live in this age of pro- 
gressive development of man' s intellectual, moral 
and spiritual nature. 

Hear what the Rev. John Wesley says on this 
subject, volume 6, page 513, " Christ is the end of 
the Adamic, as well as the Mosaic law. By his 
death he put an end to both. He hath abolished 
both the one and the other, with regard to man, 
and the obligation to observe either the one or the 
other is vanished away." 

There can be no mistake as to the opinion of 
the founder of the Methodist E. Church, in regard 
to this old Israelitish statute. I was present some- 
time since, where a number of preachers and 
official members were conversing about Mr. Wes- 
ley's opinions, and of his saying : "A spirit finds 
no difficulty in traveling three or four thousand 
miles in a moment." One of them said, "We 
will turn Mr. Wesley out of the church." 

The sixth article of the Methodist discipline 
reads as follows : " Although the law given from 
God, by Moses, does not bind Christians, nor 



SAMUEL. 71 

ought the civil precepts thereof of necessity to 
be received in any pommonwealth, yet, notwith- 
standing, no Christian whatsover, is free from the 
obedience of the commandments which are called 
moral." With this quotation from the latest 
edition of the Methodist discipline, revised by the 
General Conference, which met in this city, in 
1870, I dismiss these old statutes, hoping never 
again to have occasion to make any reference 
to them. 

I cannot, however, let Samuel pass " as the only 
one who ever returned to speak to an acquaint- 
ance." I find, under every dispensation in the 
Old Testament, "men" returning and holding 
familiar conversations with men upon earth, not 
only in regard to important matters, but often 
in respect to things of every day life. The angel, 
"a man of God," appeared, and talked several 
times to Manoah' s wife, before he saw him, and 
when he met him, he said unto him, "Art thou 
the man that speakest unto this woman V And 
he answered, "I am." We thus have the man's 
testimony that he was the man who talked to 
the parties (Judges xin : 3). In the prophetic 
dispensation (Ezek. ix: 2), "And behold six men 
came from the way of the higher gate, and one 
man among them was clothed with linen, and he 
called to the man clothed with linen. And the 
Lord said unto him, go through the midst of the 
city, through the midst of Jerusalem. And behold 
the man clothed with the linen, which had the 
ink horn by his side, reported the matter, saying, 



72 REPLY TO REVIEW, ETC. 

I have done as thou hast commanded me." Dan- 
iel viii : 13: "And I heard a man' s voice between 
the banks of the Ulai, which called and said, 
Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision." 
(x: 5). Then I lift up mine eyes and looked, 
and beheld a certain man clothed in linen. A 
hand touched me. I heard the man clothed in 
linen. (Zach. i : 8). I saw by night, and behold a 
man riding upon a red horse. Then said I, my 
Lord, What are these ? and the angel that talked 
with me, said unto me, I will show thee what 
these be. And the man that stood among the 
myrtle trees, answered and said, Those are they 
whom the Lord hath sent to walk to and fro 
through the earth." 

Thus we see that in this age of the world, the 
same doctrine is taught to which St. Paul has 
reference in writing to the Hebrews, when he says, 
"Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to 
minister for those who shall be heirs of salvation." 
Though the lawgiver of the Israelites said little, or 
nothing, about the immortality of man, and was 
not permitted to enter the earthly Canaan with 
his natural body, yet with his spiritual body, 
under the new dispensation just about being 
inaugurated, he, in company with Elijah, mani- 
fested themselves to Jesus, and Peter, James and 
John. ' ' And behold there talked with him two 
men which were Moses and Elias, who appeared 
in glory and spoke of his decease which he should 
accomplish at Jerusalem." They saw his glory, 
and the two men that stood with him. 



MEN AND ANGELS. 73 

"Two men" again appeared and talked at the 
ascension of Jesus. "And while they looked 
steadfastly toward heaven, as he went np, behold 
two men stood by them in white apparel" (Acts i : 
10). Neither of these is called angels, but they 
were messengers, and consequently, as in other 
places where they were evidently men, but called 
angels, because they were messengers ministering 
to men. 

When "the middle wall of partition " is to be 
broken down between the Jews and the Gentiles, 
and the great truth that God was "no respecter 
of persons" to be demonstrated to the world, the 
Gentile Cornelius, " a just man, and one that feared 
God, and of good report among all the nation of 
the Jews " — "a devout man and one that prayed. ' ' 
About three o'clock in the afternoon, he was 
praying in his house, "And behold a man stood 
before me in bright clothing," who told him to 
send to Joppa, for Peter, who would explain to 
him more fully the gospel, designed for the Gen- 
tiles as well as the Jews. When St. Paul and 
Timothy were traveling, and preaching the gospel 
over Asia Minor, "a man from Macedonia," 
appeared to him at night, and said unto him, 
"Come over into Macedonia, and help us." Paul 
went immediately, in compliance with the request 
of this native-born Macedonian, who, though a 
heavenly messenger, still felt an interest in the 
land of his nativity, and the people with whom 
lie had been associated. It was thus through the 
agency of this "amwi," that the gospel was first 



74 EEPLY TO REVIEW, ETC. 

preached on the continent of Europe. When God 
wishes to teach the ministry of angels to Jacob, 
he has a ladder upon which they are "ascending 
and descending." Notice, they ascend before 
they descend. They have fulfilled their mission 
on earth in the natural form, and ascend the 
ladder in their spiritual form, and descend again 
to minister to mankind, and show the open com- 
munications between the two worlds. 

When he wishes to make a revelation to John, 
on the Isle of Patmos, of many important things, 
one of the old prophets is commissioned to go and 
lift the veil between these worlds, and to open 
John' s eyes to see the invisible ; yet he did not 
know it was a man who talked to him. Such had 
been the progressive development of this man 
since he had wandered about, homeless, upon the 
mountains of Judea, that John, though he had 
witnessed the transfiguration, resurrection and 
ascension of Jesus, was not prepared to believe 
that a human being could exhibit such transcend - 
ant glory, and he fell down 1 o worship at the feet 
of the angel which showed him these things. 

Our reviewer, following in the track of his 
illustrious predecessors, quotes the rich man and 
Lazarus, as showing the impossibility of spirits 
returning to earth. He says, u The rich man 
begged Father Abraham to send Lazarus back 
with a message to his brethren, but his request 
was not granted. They have Moses and the 
prophets." 



RICH MAN AND LAZARUS. 75 

Let us analyze this parable, and see what our 
Savior designed to teach by it: 

" Luke xvi : 31 : 'If they hear not Moses and 
the prophets, neither will they be persuaded 
though one rose from the dead,' is quoted by 
some with a triumphant air, as though perfectly 
conclusive against spiritual manifestations. I shall 
consider the passage only in its supposed bearing 
against these things ; and I think that a little 
reflection will convince any candid mind that they 
are not condemned by it. Attend to the following 
considerations : 

"1st. The passage, taken with its connection, 
clearly shows the possibility of glorified spirits 
communicating with the living. The rich man 
addresses two petitions to Abraham. The first is, 
'That he would send Lazarus,' who had obtained 
a lodgment in his bosom, ' to dip the tip of his 
finger in water and cool his tongue,' i. e., that his 
sufferings might be mitigated. To this Abraham 
returns a denial, accompanied with two reasons. 
The first was, that justice demanded he should 
endure all that was inflicted upon him. The 
second, that it was impossible for Lazarus to 
come to him — verse 25-6. 

"The second petition was, that he would send 
Lazarus to his father's house to warn his five 
brethren. This is denied, and but one reason 
given for it : ' They have Moses and the prophets ; 
let them hear them.' He does not say. as in the 
former case, he 'cannot,' which clearly shows 



76 EEPLY TO REVIEW, ETC. 

that it was possible for Lazarus to return to earth 
and warn those persons. 

' 1 2d. The clause, ' will not be persuaded though 
one rose from the dead,'' supposed to be condem- 
natory of spiritual manifestations, is predicated of 
five individuals only, not of the race universally. 
The rich man does not pray that Lazarus might 
be sent to warn the world — sinners in general — 
but simply to his fathef s house to warn his five 
brethren; clearly showing that the prayer was 
not prompted by a benevolent concern for them, 
but a selfish interest for himself. He had just 
been told that his sufferings should never be less ; 
he now prays that they may not be increased by 
the coming of his brethren to share in them ; pre- 
cisely harmonizing with the doctrine set forth in 
these manifestations respecting lost spirits. They 
say, ' The lost spirits of your friends would 
delight to see you as miserable as themselves, but 
they do not generally wish you to come to hell, 
because it would add to their torments.' But to 
the question before us; the pronoun i they' > 
relates to, and stands for, 'five brethren,'' and is 
limited by its antecedent to the same extension ; 
and in their case it was doubtless true. But does 
it follow that it was equally true of all others, in 
all ages of the world ? I know not by what rule of 
grammar, or logic, or common sense, this can be 
made to appear. Try the logic a little. Five men 
would not repent, though warned to from the 
grave ; therefore nobody would % Now, if this 
is good, I think the following better : five hundred 



RICH MAN AND LAZARUS. 77 

thousand of the Egyptians, with Pharoah at their 
head, would not believe that God spoke by Moses, 
therefore, the Israelites would not, and his mission 
was useless! A greater number of Jews could 
not be persuaded to repentance by the united 
exertions of Christ and his apostles, therefore, 
nobody could have been, and their labors were 
silly and vain ! There are now a great many who 
will not be persuaded to give their hearts to God 
by all that can be done to effect their salvation ; 
therefore, nothing need be done for any, for none 
will consent to be saved ! Puerile as this logic is, 
it is a vast improvement upon that which arrays 
this passage against spiritual manifestations. For 
the one is from five to the whole ; the other from 
five hundred thousand to the whole. If the former 
is good, the latter is a hundred thousand times 
better, mathematically demonstrated. But, 

"3d. The passage relates to quite another thing 
than spiritual manifestations. It relates to a literal 
resurrection of the body. ' Though, one rose from 
the dead ' — a specific miracle for a specific object 
— and the most that can be claimed for it, even 
constructively, is, that a specific miracle for the 
conversion of every five persons would be useless 
— which, I doubt not, is true. The passage has no 
reference to communications made from glorified 
spirits in their disembodied state, but to the 
return of the spirit to its forsaken body, and 
its living in, and preaching through, it. I have 
heard it said, to be sure, that it is the same thing; 
but this can not be, any more than Christ's going 



78 

in spirit to preach to the antediluvians in the days 
of Noah (1 Pet. in : 19, 20), was the same thing 
as his resurrection at Jerusalem, twenty-four 
hundred years afterward. But, 

"4th. If the passage proves anything against 
spiritual manifestations, it proves quite too much 
for those who avail themselves of it ; for if no other 
means than those mentioned in this passage, as 
adequate to effect the salvation of these five per- 
sons, can be successfully used for the salvation of 
others, the whole New Testament is superfluous. 
' If they hear not Moses and the ■ prop7iets.' > By 
Moses and the prophets, the Old Testament, and 
that only, is meant. Of course, then, if the argu- 
ment is good, we have no use for the New. It will 
avail nothing to say, in avoidance of this conclu- 
sion, that 'Christ had already come.' For 1st. 
This can not be proved. Christ relates it as passed; 
but how far back in the past it transpired, no man 
can tell, for he has not. All we know in regard to 
the time of the occurrence — for the time of its rela- 
tion is of no avail in the argument — is, that it was 
posterior to the closing up of the Old Testament, 
revelation, and anterior to the present in which it 
was told, covering a space of four hundred years, 
in any part of which it might have taken place. 
2d. It is, I think, more than probable that the 
date of the transaction is anterior to the advent of 
Christ. For if Christ had already come, it seems 
quite unaccountable that Abraham should have 
overlooked the fact, and referred to Moses and the 
prophets as the exponents of the way of life, when 



ABRAHAM, CHRIST, PAUL, PETEE, ETC. 79 

their authority had been already superseded and 
set aside by the appearance of 'the greater than 
they.' 1 Why did not Abraham say they have 
Christ, instead of Moses and the prophets? I 
presume it was because they had no Christ, 
as yet, except as he was to be found in types and 
prophecies. But, 3d. Even if Christ had come, 
and Abraham, from some unaccountable reason, 
had been held in ignorance of it, or failed to men- 
tion it, still, not a syllable of the New Testament 
had been written. The crucifixion, and the resur- 
rection, and the ascension, and the subsequent 
advocacy of the Lamb of God had not taken 
place. Were these necessary? The astounding 
revelations of Paul, and Peter, and Jude, and the 
sublime visions of John, on Patmos, were yet 
undisclosed ; were these unnecessary ? It is sur- 
prising to see how thoughtlessly some men, and 
even divines, will quote and apply Scripture!" 

The reviewer says: "The letters of Mary and 
Wm. Henry, brother and sister, contain no distinc- 
tive marks. But it was not the habit to call their 
brother Samuel, but Brother Sammy. I knew 
Win. Henry for years ; have often seen his writing. 
I do not recognize his style. I never knew Lis 
middle name was Henry, for he never signed it so 
within my knowledge. His brother knew this. 
How did the medium come to write Benry?" 
I will inform him just as it occurred. After it was 
written, Dr. Mansfield read it to me, as he did the 
others, but he read the name Wm. R. : believing 
himself it was an R. As soon as he had read it, 



80 EEPLY TO REVIEW, ETC. 

his hand seemed to be involuntarily controlled, 
and wrote "Henry" very plainly crosswise be- 
tween the William and the Watson. I had not 
thought of his having a middle name for many 
years that I remember. Though a small matter 
to me, it was a strong test, showing my brother 
recognized the name of his boyhood. Another 
case of a name test occurs to me. Gen. Thomas 
Rivers put W. in his name. I had known him at 
Lagrange college, Alabama; was present when 
he graduated ; had corresponded with him while 
he was our member of Congress, but never saw 
or heard of his having a middle name. When 
I saw his signature to the first communication he 
gave me with "W" in it, I supposed it was a 
freak of Mansfield's pencil. Though I was con- 
fident it was an error, I did not feel at liberty to 
strike out even a letter, and gave it as it was writ- 
ten in the book. 

Several months afterwards, while I was attend- 
ing the session of the Memphis Conference, at 
Somerville, I was invited to dine with a family, 
where I met with Gen. Rivers' mother. Soon after 
she came into the parlor, she told me that her son 
had appeared to her in a vision or dream, and 
said to her : "Mother, you think it strange that I 
put W. to my name in Bro. Watson' s book. Do 
you not remember that I always signed my name 
that way in my boyhood, in consequence of a 
nick name the boys gave me. Look in any of 
my old copy books, and you will find W. always 
as my middle name." The old lady remembered 



8PIEIT AUTOGRAPHS. 81 

it well then, but said she had not thought of it 
for twenty years. I would simply ask the ques- 
tion, How did Mansfield know what had occurred 
over a third of a century before the Indians had 
removed from this country, and which was not, 
in all probability, known to any mortal. Analyze 
it as you may, it will be difficult to explain, on 
any other hypothesis than that Gen. Rivers wrote 
the communication, and referred to a number of 
things in no one' s mind within a thousand miles 
of New York. " The printed minutes of the con- 
ferences would furnish the names of the places 
where Andrews labored, and the time of his 
death." That possibly may be so, but they were 
unknown to me. My acquaintance with him was 
limited to a few weeks, while on the Augusta 
circuit, in 1857. I did not know that there were 
such other circuits in the conference as some that 
he had traveled. I knew not the place or time ot 
his death, yet he gives all correct, even the day, 
and its triumphs, which I subsequently learn id, 
were all true to the letter. 

As this reviewer presents about the same objec- 
tions that others have, I will copy my reply to 
some of them : 

In noticing the page of autographs, Dr. Jones 
says: 

"That habits of living muscles can be transmit 
ted to the fingers of an amanuensis medium after 
these muscles are dead, is impossible. Bat either 
the one or the other of these things occurred in 
producing these autographs; let reason decide 



82 REPLY TO REVIEW, ETC. 

which it was. This dilemma is unavoidable — 
the fac simile autographs were either a forgery or 
an impossibility." 

One might suppose from the dogmatic manner 
of this assertion, that the Doctor was as familiar 
with the laws that govern the spiritual, as he is 
with those which prevail in the natural world. 
He speaks with the authority of scientific demon- 
stration. But let us analyze what he says a little. 
He admits the facts that those autographs are fac 
similes of the person's handwriting from whom 
they purport to have come. This admitted, there 
is a dilemma from which Dr. Jones has not, as I 
think, extricated himself. He asserts, but does 
not prove it to be an impossibility for a spirit to use 
the fingers of another to write as they did when 
in their natural body. It seems to me that if they 
had the control of the medium' s organism, as the 
mesmerizer has of his subject, that the writing 
would be like that which they wrote with their 
own organism. The mesmerizer seems to have 
complete control of the person mesmerized. He 
sees, liears, tastes, feels as he does. His mind, 
will, and all the faculties of his intellectual nature 
are, or seem to be, under his control. The science 
of animal magnetism is but little understood by 
the masses, and yet it prevails to a greater extent 
than most persons believe. The orator magnetizes 
his audience. The sensational preacher sways 
his congregation. Much that passes current in 
revival excitements for religion, is doubtless pro- 
duced by this power of mind over mind. Yet we 



SPIRIT COMMUNICATIONS. 83 

know but little of the modus operandi even here. 
How, then, are we to determine the laws that con- 
trol in the spirit world % That which may indeed 
be an axiom here may be a fallacy there. Hence 
the folly, as I conceive, of my friend's assertion. 
Does a spirit which is disencumbered from its clay 
tenement have less power than in this infant state 
of being? Is not development one of the great 
laws of our nature? Why, then, should it be 
thought "impossible" for a spirit to use the 
muscles of a medium in the same way it has been 
accustomed in its earth-life to use its own % There 
are thousands of living witnesses who would 
testify upon oath, if necessary, that they have had 
communications in the same hand-writing of those 
who professed to be communicating. 

Dr. Jones' theory drives him to the conclusion 
that they were forged by Dr. Mansfield. Was 
this possible % Even to admit him to be as bad a 
man as Dr. Jones asserts, I have no idea that he 
ever saw the handwriting of more than one of 
the parties who wrote. Several of them I had 
never seen until sometime afterward ; when com- 
paring them I found them very nearly the same. 
There are several that are not given on that page 
of autographs. Some had not been written when 
it was made. Dr. Parsons' was one of them. On 
my return home, I spent a few hours with Rev. 
Dr. Rivers and Bro. Martin, of Louisville. They 
compared the handwriting with Dr. Parsons' 
handwriting they had in a book of his, and they 
pronounced it nfac simile. 1 leave the intelligent 



84 REPLY TO REVIEW, ETC. 

reader to weigh the Doctor's arguments and 
determine for himself whether he has established 
his position that these autographs are forgeries, 
or whether they are genuine signatures of the per- 
sons by whom they profess to have been written. 
Is it not more reasonable to conclude that Dr. 
Jones does not understand the laws of communi- 
cating in the Spirit- world, and that the laws of the 
natural world do not apply to the spiritual nature 
of man (which he believes exists there in its perfect 
identity), than to suppose it possible for an entire 
stranger to all but one in the city of New York, 
to give the handwriting of so many persons he had 
never seen or even heard of before % Then add to 
this scores of facts connected with the history of 
those persons, many of whom I did not know 
myself for weeks after, and at the time believed 
to be erroneous, but subsequently found I was 
mistaken, and they were right. I did not know 
all the circuits which Bro. Andrews traveled in 
Arkansas, nor did I know the year, much less the 
month and day of the month, or place at which 
he died. I knew nothing of Charles Scott, yet as 
soon as Major Wicks saw the name, he said it was 
his signature. I did not know that Major Win- 
chester had any daughters living, or that they 
were " wrongfully deprived of their rights," until 
I returned to Memphis. I learned there was a 
law-suit pending in the First Chancery Court 
here, involving a large amount of property. I 
did not know that Dr. Parsons was a believer in 



THE REVIEWER. 85 

spiritual manifestations, or that Dr. Sehon preach- 
ed his funeral until I learned it at Louisville. 

Why does not Dr. Jones or some of the review- 
ers account for these things % There are a number 
of other facts that I know nothing of whatever, 
which I have found to be as was written. Even the 
discrepancies have disappeared by further inves- 
tigation, in a manner of which I never conceived. 
I could give many remarkable cases of this kind, 
but it is not necessary. 

Having noticed the main objections of the re- 
viewer, I leave the reader to judge of his premises, 
arguments and conclusions. There is more frank- 
ness and candor shown by him than is usual to 
find among those who have written against Spirit- 
ualism, without ever having investigated it. His 
position in the M. E. Church South, as well as 
a prominent lawyer and an able judge, entitle his 
opinions to serious consideration. 

His article having been declined by the Metho- 
dist Quarterly Review for reasons given in the 
preface, he sent it and his continuation of the 
subject to me for publication. He has since passed 
over the river, and now knows it to be a glorious 
privilege to minister to, and communicate with, 
his friends on earth, in regard to those tilings 
about which he has written. 



TEE CASE EXAMINED PURELY ON THE RECORD, 

BY ONE WHO HAS NO EXPERIENCE OF 

SPIRITUAL MANIFESTATIONS. 



"THE CLOCK STRUCK ONE AND CHRISTIAN SPIRITUALISTS. 
BY REV. SAMUEL WATSON." 



THE SUBJECT RESUMED. 



Since the foregoing article was written, the 
ecclesiastical authority has taken such action in 
regard to The Clock Struck One, as has resulted 
in the author' s withdrawal from the connection. 
He has published a pamphlet called the " Clock 
Struck Two," in which he reviews some of his 
critics, and vindicates his consistency as a Metho- 
dist minister in accepting the facts of spiritual 
manifestation. 

It is difficult to see wherein that church has 
ever committed itself to any position in regard to 
the question ; but Mr. Watson shows conclusive- 
ly that John Wesley and Adam Clark were here- 
tics equally with himself, if it be heresy to believe 
in the manifestation of spirits after their departure 
from the body. 



PROGRESS IX RELIGIOUS FAITH CONDEMNED. 87 

It is remarkable that every great reform which 
introduces new religious light and truth, even as 
a more perfect development of the old, should l>< k 
condemned as schismatic and heterodox by the 
high authority of the existing church. Jesus and 
his apostles were thus condemned by the Jewish 
hierarchy which was almost the sole organized 
assembly that then maintained the worship of the 
one true God. Wickliff, Huss, Luther, George 
Fox, and Roger Williams, each made improve- 
ments destined to be adopted on the religious 
faith and practice that prevailed in his day, and 
each was condemned by the existing authorities, 
civil and religious. 

Without pretending to predict how far this new 
doctrine may progress toward enlightening and 
reforming the world, it is worthy of note that a 
religious body should condemn a movement 
which chums for its special task to demonstrate the 
immortality of the soul, or "to bring life and 
immortality to light." 

That such convincing proof of man's immortal- 
ity is needed for the Materialist, the Unbeliever, 
the Skeptic, and for the nominal Christian, is a 
chief point successfully maintained in "The Clock 
Struck One," and -Clock Struck Two." Let 
us not only believe, but vividly realize, that our 
friends who drop out of the circle one by one. still 
live and think and feel that they may still hold 
some correspondence with us, and that we, also, 
"shall not die, but live;" and then we will recog- 
nizea great fulfillment of the words which the Holy 
Spirit long ago stereotyped, " O, death, where is 
thy sting? (), grave, where is thy victory I" 

Since my former effort to discuss this subject, 
I have also extended my limited acquaintance 
with the literature <>t' Modern Spiritualism. Many 
of the communications attributed to spirits, are 



88 THE SUBJECT RESUMED. 

vague, silly, and not at all reliable as oracles of 
truth. Others are serious, dignified, and rational, 
entirely consistent with the truths which men 
believe they have ascertained through other chan- 
nels. Some are more original than the message 
to Eliphaz. 

In further proscecuting the inquiry whether 
the spirits of deceased persons do communicate 
with mortal men, I feel constrained to concede 
some points as fully settled which I treated before 
as questionable. 

As before we are compelled to accept the 
testimony of some of the witnesses to these spiritual 
phenomena, as entirely unimpeachable. Such a 
witness is Samuel Watson. Such a witness is 
Robert Dale Owen, whose ' ' Debatable Land ' ' I 
have read since I wrote the first article, and to 
whose informants almost equal credence is due. 
I receive the statements of all these persons as I 
do those of any historical writer, traveler, or 
scientific explorer. From their manner of inves- 
tigating and writing, they seem to be entitled to 
as much credit for cool deliberation, acute obser- 
vation, and sound judgment, as the pioneers in 
any progressive science. The precautions taken 
to exclude the possibility of deception by any 
artful human contrivance, after the first few expe- 
riments, become almost tiresome, so evident is it 
that the wonderful performances related are attrib- 
utable to some other than known physical or cor- 
poreal agency. Such precaution was proper at 
first, to meet the exactions of skeptical criticism. 
Elijah had twelve barrels full of water poured on 
the sacrifice and the wood, in order that it might 
be the more evident to the beholders that the fire 
which soon after consumed the fiesh, wood, stone, 
water and all, did not originate from sparks 
secretly contrived among the fuel. No theory of 



THE THREE SPIRITS. 89 

spontaneous combustion interferes with the de- 
monstration, and that the stones were not quick- 
lime seems to have been sufficiently evident. So 
in these cases, by abundant caution, all suspicion 
of legerdemain or imposture is excluded. 

That test of personal, intellectual identity which 
seemed requisite, has been fully given. It is evi- 
dent that the particulars contained in the answers 
written by the mediums, are not supplied by the 
knowledge of the mediums themselves, because 
they could not possibly possess such knowledge. 
For the same reason, the facts could not have 
come through any imaginable mental atmosphere 
or "ethereal medium," from the mind of the cor- 
respondent in the body, or of any other mortal. 
Several of the facts thus imparted, have been 
wholly unknown to the party receiving them, and 
in some cases contrary to his fixed belief. Yet 
such facts have been verified by reference to 
remote and obscure records. For instance, in 
1855, Dr. H., of New York, while listening to a 
sermon, suddenly saw three female figures gliding 
through the church. He recognized one as his 
mother, and another as his wife, both deceased. 
The third, a beautiful young girl, he could not 
identify, though he was inclined to consider it his 
only sister Anne, who had died thirty-nine years 
before in childhood. The next day, in order to 
learn who the third was, he called on one of the 
Fox sisters, and by raps the name Elizabeth was 
selected among a number of female names submit- 
ted. Likewise sister was indicated as the relation. 
He remarked it was a mistake, and asked again 
emphatically if Elizabeth was the name, and Bister 
the relation? Lond raps answered "Yes." Then 
he replied, "Well, it isn't so; that's all 1 can 
say." Three raps still louder, reaffirmed the 
assertion. It afterwards occurred to Dr. 11., to 



90 THE SUBJECT RESUMED. 

examine the family bible of his parents, at his 
stepmother's, seventy miles distant, and to his 
amazement he found registered, in the year 1826, 
the birth of a daughter, Elizabeth, together with 
a record of her death, a few weeks afterward (De- 
batable Land, p. 401.) That sister was born and 
died during a live years' absence from his 
father's house, and if Dr. H. ever knew anything 
of these events, he had totally forgotten them. 
Miss Fox knew nothing whatever of the facts. 

Another : In August, 1872, Mr. Watson, through 
Dr. Mansfield, requested Gen. Rivers to correct 
some mistakes in what he had written through that 
medium, as published in The Clock Struck One. 
The answer:* "My dear Bro. Watson, I bless 
you for again allowing me to speak to you. I 
have looked over the communication given you 
May 25th, but I do not read it clearly. I am 
unable to see what you have reference to. Could 
you point out the error, then it will give me 



* As reference has been made by my reviewer to a sealed letter I wrote to 
Dr. Mansfield, in August, 1872, 1 will give the facts just as they occurred. 
An old friend of mine, being very desirous of hearing from a relative, got 
me to send a sealed letter to him, addressed to the party. Having but few 
to sympathize with me in the difficulties which loomed up before me in the 
Church, I felt inclined to ask advice of some on the other side. I prepared 
my questions on blank news paper, in the presence of two of the pastors of 
the Methodist Church, in the preachers 1 office, they examining them and 
making private marks on them, so as to identify them and demonstrate that 
they hud not been opened. I took copies of what I asked each. I then 
saturated them with mucilage, so that they could not be opened without 
tearing them all to pieces The answers were written on the same slips 
that were thus folded some twelve or fifteen times, and are still unopened. 
They were returned to me with the private marks untouched, and writing 
on the same pieces of paper. This is the only letter of the kind I have ever 
written to any one. 

"Will Gen. Thos. Rivers write a communication to me, correcting a 
mistake he made m what he wrote to me through Dr. Mansfield, published 
in Clock Struck One?" My friend, Rev. E. Boggs, thinks, "That Dr. 
Mansfield mesmerized our author, thus getting comrol of his thoughts, and 
making him give the communications. 11 There were many things •'■given'" 
that were never in my thoughts; severalof them, I thought, were erroneous, 
and so expressed myself, but subsequently found I was in error, and they 
were correct. I think my friend will have to invent a new theory, as the 
distance between Memphis and New York is too great for even Mesmerism 
to explain. There were letters received at the same time from several par- 
ties, but as no reference has been made to them, I will not; but they were 
very demonstrative and comforting to me under the circumstances. 



SPIRIT COMMUNICATIONS. 91 

pleasure to correct it, if in my power. There, 
think I have solved the mystery — I should have 
said, J. L. Webb, instead of B. R. Webb. I 
ought to have known better than to have made 
the mistake, for I defended Minott, and now it 
occurs to me, that J. L. Webb' s son shot at T. B. 
Minott on the streets of Memphis, some time 
about the tenth or fifteenth of July, 1861. We 
get things mixed up now and then, Bro. Watson, 
but always give you as our memory serves. Your 
Brother, Thos. Rivers." 

Mr. Watson was not aware that Rivers defend- 
ed Minott, but afterwards learned that the venue 
was changed to another County, and that Rivers 
did there act as advocate. The correction was 
asked in August, 1872, by letter from Memphis 
to New York, and the reply was returned in a 
few days the same way, on a part of the paper 
which contained the written request, and this 
had never been opened. The idea that Dr. Mans- 
field had both the original communication and the 
materials for discovering and correcting the error, 
is absolutely untenable. 

Numerous examples are reported in which the 
combinations seem to be studiously designed to 
exclude the possibility that the intelligence con- 
veyed, comes through any person still living in 
the body. The spirits, also, expressly state that 
the case is made strong in order to remove all 
doubts from the minds of their friends in the body. 
Words are written under a table, in inverted form, 
so as to be read only in a mirror, or through the 
paper on the opposite side from that on which the 
pencil had pressed. The letters are sometimes 
duplicated on the arm or forehead of the medium. 

Besides the significance of the communications, 
and the manner of imparting them, there are many 
marvelous performances closely related to t! 



92 THE SUBJECT RESUMED. 

manifestations, that would remain to be explained, 
even if it were conceded that the words came from 
human beings in the flesh. The signatures of 
deceased persons are produced so accurately as 
to be easily recognized, the writing medium being 
wholly ignorant of chirographics thus imitated off- 
hand. Sentences are written in alien languages of 
which the medium writers have no knowledge. 
Questions formed in the mind alone are appro- 
priately answered, and the very thoughts and 
intents of the heart are perceived. Loud sounds 
and sensible concussions, have been habitually 
produced for twenty-five years, and no man has 
"ever been able to account for them on any physi- 
cal principles. Lights arise and shine, which pro- 
ceed from no assignable physical cause. Palpable 
touches are experienced, words of clear import 
are heard, forms are seen and features are recog- 
nized as those of departed human beings, their 
flowing hair and drapery are handled; and all 
this occurs in an apartment closed and locked 
with the utmost care, and without the least possi- 
ble agency of any of the persons present in the 
body. And when these manifestations have van- 
ished under the intense scrutiny of those persons, 
a token is left, a flower, a key, a goblet, in their 
possession, which must have been presented by 
the same mysterious agency that produced the 
other manifestations. Great motive power is 
exerted under the severest tests, in lifting heavy 
bodies and overcoming the resistance of levers, 
springs, and other obstacles. 

It is, therefore, of no avail to show, as I endeav- 
ored to do before, that several of the communica- 
tions might have been dictated (provided, etc.) by 
another mind than that of the spirit from whom 
they profess to come (provided the messages to be 
answered could be read). It is useless to expose 



SPIRIT COMMUNICATIONS. 93 

errors in some of the communications, or to show 
that they might possibly have originated from 
other than spiritual sources. This negative evi- 
dence, if obtained, would not shake the conclu- 
sive, intrinsic proof of spiritual identity, furnished 
by other communications, nor would it in the least 
facilitate an explanation of the other associated 
phenomena. 

Those who do not believe in Divine Revelation, 
find no escape from the labyrinth, except by the 
rejection of all human testimony on the subject ; or 
by allowing unlimited extent to illusion and self- 
deception. We thus escape, sometimes, from 
the infinite perplexities of a dream by awaking to 
reality. 

Those who believe in the Bible, can resist these 
evidences of spiritual or "intermundane com- 
munion," only by attributing the phenomena in 
question to evil spirits of almost unlimited power 
and knowledge. Some religious persons do as- 
sume this position. 

It may be impossible to determine whether the 
words, voice, form, features, handwriting, and 
raiment, the inmost knowledge, thoughts and 
feelings thus presented as belonging to a deceased 
person, are truly manifested by the spirit of that 
person, or by Satanic power, if we accept the 
reality of a personal Satan. But the discussion 
is reduced with Ihose who believe in the Bible, to 
this single alternative: either these signs are 
wrought by the disembodied spirits of human 
beings, or some other spiritual beings are permit- 
ted by the omnipotent Creator, thus to imitate the 
attributes of mortal men, to know the minutest 
facts relating to them, and to discern their inmost 
thoughts and emotions. 

Some such power and knowledge of our affairs 

is certainly attributed to Satan, by the most ol.vi- 



94 THE SUBJECT RESUMED. 

cms interpretation of several passages of scripture. 
Witness Ms knowledge of Job's condition^ and 
the immense damage he inflicted on that Sheik in 
his person and property. He goes about as a 
roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. He 
has "devices" against us of which the apostles 
were not ignorant. But we must not suppose that 
every time the word "Devil" occurs in the New 
Testament, the Great Adversary is meant. By an 
inaccurate use of language, a different class of 
foul spirits are often called "devils," though the 
Greek tongue hath their names daimon or demon. 
These demons are numerous, a legion of them 
sometimes besieging one man. These evil spirits 
also possessed considerable knowledge and power 
to harm mankind. 

Now, since Satan can transform himself into an 
angel of light (2 Cor. 11 : 14), it is probable that 
deceptions and false personations may be prac- 
ticed by him, or by other evil spirits. And since 
the phenomena of Spiritualism are as unquestion- 
able as the aurora borealis, ocean currents, water- 
spouts, balloon ascensions, and telegraphic com- 
munication ; since the theory of defective evidence 
or sustained illusion is utterly untenable, we are 
compelled to refer the phenomena either to the 
spirits of deceased human beings, or to evil 
spirits. There is absolutely no other hypothesis 
or alternative. The attempts of skeptics to account 
for the facts on physical principles, or in other 
ways, are as utterly futile, and the causes assigned 
are as inadequate and irrational, as the first crude 
guesses at the origin of the Gulf Stream, when one 
attributed it to the Mississippi river, and another 
to an under-ground current from the Pacific Ocean 
through Central America. 

In truth, we must admit that these are spiritual 
manifestations — no better word than spirit can be 



JOB, ISRAELITES, FALM; S1>I KITS. 



95 



adopted to designate the mysterious power— and 
we have only to decide whether they are true or 
false spirits. 

It is one proof of the excellence of the sacred 
Scriptures, that in all the new and startling devel- 
opments in human affairs, scarcely any thing 
arises but it seems to have been anticipated in that 
book, which contains language fitly applicable 
to the case. "Canst thou send the lightnings ?" 
was asked of Job, thousands of years before the 
electric telegraph was constructed. The New- 
Testament furnishes recorded wisdom especially 
appropriate to this new phase of spiritual activity. 
We must "believe not every spirit, but try the 
spirits." So there are spirits that are not of God, 
false spirits and many false prophets. In Kings, 
we read that a spirit came forth and said, "I will 
be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets" 
(ch. 22 : v. 21, etc.). The Clock Struck One express- 
ly recognizes the distinction between true and false 
spirits. This is the point where the new doctrine 
of Spiritualism is so much misunderstood. There 
is something apparently so supernatural in a mes- 
sage from another world, that we are all inclined, 
at first, to receive every word as an infallible 
revelation. This is a reason why the more enlight- 
ened Christian Spiritualists concede that it is 
dangerous for ignorant persons, and those not 
well grounded in religious faith, to seek after 
spiritual communications ; and probably this was 
the reason why the Israelites, when journeying 
from Egypt to Canaan, were commanded to 
inquire only by Urim and Thummim, and were 
forbidden "to regard them that have familiar spir- 
its, or to seek after wizards." The strongest 
position the critics have taken against Mr. Wat- 
son, is that his investigations and teachings violate 
this scriptural injunction. These critics admit 



96 THE SUBJECT EESUMED. 

the performances, and accept tlie theory of their 
spiritual origin ; but they say these things are 
done by Beelzebub and his demons. Mr. Watson, 
while admitting that evil spirits may show signs, 
as well as good spirits, makes a very successful, 
if not a conclusive argument, to prove that the 
prohibition above cited, was peculiarly directed 
to the Hebrews in their actual condition, ever 
prone to forsake the true worship for false gods, 
until after the Babylonish captivity ; that the law 
is not binding on the people of God, under the 
new dispensation ; that it is like the law prohibit- 
ing the use of pork, or that against worshiping in 
any other place than the Temple in Jerusalem. 
"What God hath cleansed call not thou common. 
The hour cometh, and now is, when ye shall 
neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, 
worship the Father ; the true worshipers shall 
worship the Father in spirit and in truth." If 
these spiritual gifts and manifestations are indeed 
a renewal of those often mentioned in the New 
Testament, then it is clear that men are not for- 
bidden, but positively exhorted to become inform- 
ed ' ' concerning spiritual gifts ;' ' to covet more 
earnestly the best gifts ; to desire spiritual gifts ; 
but to prefer that of prophecy, and to discrimin- 
ate between the true and the false. 

The Christian Spiritualists are firmly convinced 
that these "epiphanies" are in fact a renewal, in 
a more abundant measure, of those spiritual 
messages to men which were anciently of frequent 
occurrence, which were never wholly interrupted, 
but for many ages have been proverbially rare, 
and to whose reality the traditions, the poetry, the 
superstitions, and even the fables of all nations 
bear witness. It had been so long since any such 
phenomena were so authenticated as to gain gen- 
eral belief, prior to 1848,. that the modern mind 



07 

had come to regard all such ideas as unreal. Even 
religious people had only a vague, shadowy belief 
in the soriptural narratives of spiritual beings and 
works, or dissolved them into metaphor and 
allegory. Under such conditions our investiga- 
tions are facilitated by finding any ancient records 
which seem to refer to the same or similar occur- 
rences. Such allusions are valuable, whether 
true, poetic, or false, for the counterfeit must have 
reference to some genuine original. But the 
authentic accounts are most valuable. In citing 
passages that seem to relate to a similar state of 
things, it is not pretended that the allusions are 
certainly or exclusively applicable to the present 
case. They are offered as suggestions to be taken 
for what they may be worth. 

After a period of great display of Divine Power, 
in the days of Moses and Joshua, resulting in the 
establishment of Israel in the promised land, a 
long interval followed, till the time of Samuel, 
when "there was no open vision." Afterward it 
was prophesied that the Divine Spirit should be 
poured out "upon all tlesh, and your sons and 
your daughters shall prophesy, your old men 
shall dream dreams, and your young men shall 
see visions." The fulfillment of this in the time 
of the apostles, was specially noted by them. 
During the same era, a great many impure or 
unholy spirits were active in demonstrating their 
knowledge and power among men. Besides the 
foul spirits, the spirits of infirmity, dumb spirits, 
and evil spirits of the worst character which pos- 
sessed people, there are some which bear a closer 
resemblance to those of recent manifestation. ' ' A 
certain damsel, possessed of a spirit of divination, 
met us" (Ac. 16: 16). Seven sons of Sceva took 
upon them to exorcise evil spirits, by saying, "We 
adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth." 



98 THE SUBJECT RESUMED. 

And the evil spirit answered and said, " Jesus I 
know, and Paul I know ; but who are ye?" "The 
Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither 
angel nor spirit." (There are Sadducees now 
living.) But the Pharisees confess both, and they 
, said, "We find no evil in this man ; but if a spirit 
or an angel hath spoken to him, let us not fight 
against God." So in that age of greatest spiritual 
manifestation, there was a party that acknowl- 
edged, and a party that denied, the very exist- 
ence of spirits, as there are now. 

But more startling things are written in the 
Scriptures, whether as prophecy or as history, 
than those that relate to spiritual powers and 
manifestations. Read Ezekiel' s vision of the val- 
ley of dry bones. Whatever may be the true inter- 
pretation of it, whatever kind of revival it may 
prefigure, the vision was of dead people coming 
to life ; and the explanation expressly given is, 
" Behold, O, my people, I will open your graves, 
and cause you to come up out of your graves, 
and shall put my spirit in you and ye shall live ; 
and I shall place you in your own land. And I 
will make them one nation in the land, on the 
mountains of Israel ; and one king shall be king 
to them all, neither shall they be divided into two 
kingdoms any more at all ; and my servant David 
shall be their prince forever" (chap. 37). 

Then read from Matthew, chapter 27, verse 52, 
etc., "And the graves were opened, and many 
bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came 
out of the graves after his resurrection, and went 
into the holy city and appeared unto many." 

"Thy dead men shall live, together with my 
dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye 
that dwell in the dust ; for thy dew is as the dew 
of herbs, and the earth shall cast out her dead" 
(Is. 26 : 19). 



REAPPEARANCE AFTER DEATH. 99 

" And many of them that sleep in the dust of 
the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, 
and some to shame and everlasting contempt" 
(Dan. 12 : 2). 

I would not apply language that refers only, to 
the great final resurrection to the spiritual appari- 
tion of a deceased person, but these passages 
prove that reappearance and survival after death, 
are distinctly set forth in various forms, aside 
from Paul's labored exposition of the resurrec- 
tion in 1 Corinthians and 1 Thessalonians. The 
idea is by no means new or original with Modern 
Spiritualists. 

Many utterances of high import in the prophetic 
writings, foretell some immense changes and im- 
provements in the condition of the "inhabiters of 
earth," to come after limited woes and curses. 
Also great advances are to be made in the knowl- 
edge of " things which have been kept secret from 
the foundation of the world." Evils prevail 
" until the spirit be poured upon us from on high 
and the wilderness be a fruitful field" (Is. 32: 
15). So chapter 35: "The earth shall be full' of 
the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the 
(11 : 9.) "When that which is perfect is 



I know in part, but then shall I know even as also 
I am known" (1 Cor. 13: 10, etc.). "For they 
shall see eye to eye when the Lord shall bring 
again Zion" (Is. 52: 8). 

We might cite all the stories of antiquity, in 
regard to shades and ghosts recognized as the 
the images of departed human being, as proof 
that such ideas have been ineffaceably fixed in the 
mind of mankind. The demon or genius that 
conversed with Socrates, has always been very 
hard to exorcise by criticism, seeing; the history 
of it was composed by so grave and intellectual 



100 THE SUBJECT KESUMED. 

an author as Plato, who also had the highest 
appreciation of truth. A most reliable historian 
relates that the ghost of Caesar appeared to Brutus, 
at Sardis, and promised to meet him again at 
Phillippi, and did meet him there according to 
appointment. But what have we made out of 
such stories in modern times % Mental excitement, 
optical delusion (acoustic delusion, also), or some 
compromise with our fixed opinions. Perhaps, 
when the system of spiritual visitations is as well 
understood as the rotundity of the earth, we shall 
learn to accept these narrations scattered through 
all history, as for the last four hundred years 
only, men have believed the statement of the 
ancient Egyptian or Phoenician voyagers, who 
related that in circumnavigating Africa, the shad- 
ows at noon extended toward the south ; a state- 
ment held incredible at a subsequent age by 
scientific men on received scientfic grounds. 

Traces may be found in the ancient poetic and 
philosophical writings of great, though vague, 
expectations of immense advances to be made by 
the human race in material welfare, and in knowl- 
edge of our spiritual or psychic relations. Perhaps 
the Sibylline verses which have been attributed to 
the pious forgery of some Christian of the second 
century, mainly because they speak so distinctly 
of the Messiah, may yet prove to be true copies, 
collected from scattered quotations after the 
destruction of the genuine originals, which certain- 
ly existed from the time of Tarquin Second, till 
the wars of Sylla, when the Capitol was burnt. 
Virgil's poem on the birth of Pallio's son, is 
unquestionably genuine, and the allusions are 
such as to suggest the opinion that he had read 
Isaiah ; yet he expressly ascribes to the Sibyl' s 
song the prophecy of the golden age which he 
celebrates as near at hand 






ECLIPSES, METEORIC SHOWERS, COMETS. 101 

Altogether the instances of real or fictitious 
visitations and messages from beings not of this 
world, and the predictions of more abundant 
revelations are so numerous, that a priori it need 
not have been so incredible that spirits of the dead 
should come and talk with people still on earth. 
Whoever gives this subject attentive consideration 
will be surprised at the number of men who are 
publishing spiritual reports, and the multitudes of 
all classes of people who accept these manifesta- 
tions without question. Already the outlines of 
system and order begin to be indicated. Fixed 
points arise here and there, like mountain peaks, 
emerge from a primordial ocean, to mark the axis 
of a continent which is destined to appear as the 
well-ordered habitation of intelligent beings. 

Mr. Watson, like other writers who are expo- 
nents of the new revelation, believes that all these 
tilings occur in accordance with laws that have 
always been in full force. Well, eclipses, meteoric 
showers, and comets, were once viewed as rare 
and frightful prodigies, occurring rather as inter- 
ruptions than as results of cosmic laws ; but the 
former have long been predicted with mathemati- 
cal exactness, and the latter are beginning to come 
at anticipated periods. The most enlarged intel- 
lects are undertaking to demonstrate the universal 
dominion of law over all the movements of mind 
and matter, celestial bodies and human societies. 
They would not except even those displays called 
miracles. They are inclined to deny that those 
mighty works art' miracles. But this must refer 
rather to the common definition of miracle than to 
its true character. Miracles have been treated as 
suspensions or violations of the laws of nature. 
But the etymology ought to remind us that a mir- 
acle is only a wonderful exhibition. In making 
revelations to mankind, it was often deemed 






102 THE SUBJECT RESUMED. 

necessary to display some power or knowledge 
beyond the faculties of common mortals, in 
order to attract attention and command belief. 
This design is not only expressly avowed and 
practically illustrated, but is indicated in the 
very words originally applied to these displays. 
JSemeion, the Greek word, means a sign. Duna- 
mis is a "mighty work" — a dynamic exhibition, 
to use an adjective from physics. These are the 
only essential characters and designs of a miracle. 
"No man can do these miracles that thou doest, 
except God be with him." 

All things remain or move as they do in obedi- 
ence to forces which act with such regularity, that 
we infer the Creator has prescribed the manner in 
which they shall invariably act. This prescribed 
formula we call law, yet the very idea* of an abso- 
lutely supreme legislative power, implies the 
facully of reserving the unlimited prerogative, of 
his own will. While all his creatures are governed 
by uniform laws, "he doeth according to his will 
in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants 
of the earth." Even while the laws of nature are 
in full operation, his power can interpose, or other 
laws may operate, and produce results beyond the 
scope of those ordinary laws. While gravitation is 
in full force, a magnet may act with greater force 
in the opposite direction, and lift a weighty body 
without touching it. Some of the mighty works 
of our Savior were done without the operation of 
any laws of nature known to us ; such as feeding 
thousands of people with a few loaves and fishes. 
But they do not appear to be done in violation of 
them, or to have suspended them any more than 
the magnet violates or suspends gravitation. The 
chemical knowledge acquired in the last hundred 
years, greatly facilitates a conception of the possi- 
ble method by which the elements composing 



103 

bread or wine may have been gathered out of the 
air and combined. So the Spiritualist would say 
no law was violated or suspended. But that 
a notable miracle was performed, is manifest ; 
and we cannot deny it, according to the proprie- 
ties of language. But the practicability, reality 
and credibility of the performances are aptly 
illustrated by the wltite rose which an apparition, 
in shining raiment, handed to Robert Dale Owen, 
and which still remains in his possession (if, in- 
deed, it was not picked up by the spirit in the 
room), or by the flowers which were plainly 
shown to Mr. Livermore, which emitted perfume 
and could be handled, but yet slowly faded and 
gradually disappeared, while he and another 
were watching them. The spirit said they were 
flowers from the Spirit-land. Other substances, 
as hair and drapery, have been handled, and 
portions clipped off and left in mortal hands, but 
in a little while, these samples evaporated and 
vanished like the manna which the Israelites 
gathered in excess of an omer (Deb. Land, 493). 

The handwriting on the wall which frightened 
Belshazzar, in the midst of his fatal feast, lias been 
illustrated more closely still. The paper, pen, 
and pencil were sensibly taken, laid on the floor 
in the dark, and illuminated : the form of a human 
hand was >^>\\ in the act of writing ; the scratch- 
ing of the pen was heard, and the writing thus 
E'oduced was read and preserved (Debatable 
md, 381, etc. >. 

Samson's achievements were literally mighty 
works. The spirit of the Lord came mightiiy 
upon him, and gave him supernatural strength. 
He was not a man of such purity and righteous- 
ness, as to render him a worthy receptacle (^' the 
Holy Spirit, but the special gift he enjoyed, was 
physical power hightened by spiritual influence. 



104 THE SUBJECT RESUMED. 

Something similar is sometimes observed in the 
irresistible muscular force exerted by madmen of 
ordinary stature. Furor supplet mm. Moving 
or shaking ponderous bodies, is one of the most 
common exhibitions of Modern Spiritualism. 

The most startling fact yet developed is, that 
the spirit reads the heart, and recognizes the very 
thoughts and feelings as they arise in the inner 
man. Jesus perceived, in his spirit, what people 
were cogitating in their minds. He knew what was 
in man. He is the only son of man who ever 
exhibited that highly spiritual faculty. But the 
exercise of a similar faculty by these spiritual 
beings, shows that the power exists by law, and it 
is not merely exceptional or anomalous. It seems, 
then, that the demands of Nebuchadnezzar, that 
the Chaldean magicians should both make known 
to him his dream and give him its interpretation, 
was not so extravagant, according to the laws of 
spiritual revelation, as the astrologers and sorcer- 
ers alleged ; though they rightly declared it was 
a rare thing, and there is none other that can shew 
it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling 
is not with flesh. The regular habit is to give or 
send the letter to be answered to the medium, 
folded up a number of times, and carefully sealed 
with paste, a part of the same strip of paper being 
left blank, and not folded up or sealed. The 
answer is written on this blank part of the roll, 
and the party seems to be satisfied that the folded 
part has never been opened. Besides, the thought 
or wish is often appropriately answered, without 
having been in any manner expressed. " Behold 
this child is set for a sign which shall be spoken 
against, that the thoughts of many hearts may 
be revealed" (Luke 2: 34,35). " For the word of 
God is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of 
the heart" (Heb. 4 : 12). It will certainly tend to 



PROGRESSION. 105 

give us a more intelligent and substantial faith to 
find that facts are now occurring which arc so 
analogous to some of the most difficult words to 
comprehend in the Bible. 

Another principle developed in these spiritual 
manifestations, is progression. Simple knocks 
were the first indication that spirits desired to open 
communication with the inhabiters of the earth. 
When attention had thus been compelled, a rap 
indicated when the right name, letter, or idea was 
reached. Sentences were slowly spelled out. But 
the conventional signals soon became well under- 
stood. Then writings began to be employed, the 
pencil being held by a human hand. Then writ- 
ings were produced by invisible hands. After 
a while, people "saw the part of the hand that 
wrote." Faces and figures now appear and are 
recognized. Conversation is held in audible lan- 
guage. Many degrees and varieties have existed 
in the modes of intercourse, and the greater facili- 
ty and perfection have been attained only through 
a course of development that might recommend 
itself to Darwin, Buckle, Herbert Spencer, and 
Baring Gould, who apply the theory of evolution 
to develop man, civilization, the universe, and 
even religious belief. It is very much like the 
progress of the art of telegraphy, after the means 
of transmitting signals were once secured. The 
peculiar handwriting is now transmitted by the 
wires. Other conditions of spiritual intercourse 
remind us of electrical phenomena. A disturbed 
or stormy state of the atmosphere is unfavorable 
to visitations from the unseen world. A kind of 
galvanic circuit or voltaic pile, seems to have been 
necessary at first to evoke the ethereal agent — a 
circle of human hands and members, where two 
or three arc 1 gathered together, quiet, attention, 
and some patience are requisite to inaugurate 



106 THE SUBJECT EESUMED. 

experiments. So dry air, isolation, and some 
kind of action are necessary to evoke electric 
force. Men had to learn to choose among elec- 
trics and conductors only by experience. 

But it is very remarkable that many of the 
conditions favorable to apparitions, prove now 
to correspond with those transmitted through 
immemorial series of ghost stories, as the laws 
regulating the movements of spirits. They make 
mysterious sounds. They prefer to come in the 
stillness of night. They evolve a mysterious light 
of their own. The stroke of sword, bullet or hand, 
passes through them harmless. A rude noise or 
disturbance drives them away. And when their 
time of departure comes, even while you look, they 
vanish into thin air. They come with inconceiva- 
ble speed, "being caused to fly swiftly." They 
are often prompted to come by some anxiety that 
existed in the mind before dissolution. Some 
human organisms are far more favorable for in- 
voking and imparting their presence and commu- 
nications, than others. Some persons see and talk 
with them with considerable frequency and facil- 
ity — spirits become "familiar" with such per- 
sons. "Seer," then, is now, as it was of old, a 
word of real import. The character of the medium 
influences the communications in some degree; 
but almost any kind of person may be the instru- 
ment of spiritual control, as Balaam, Saul, Jonah, 
and others were possessed of the spirit of prophe- 
cy, though not strictly pious or holy men. The 
medium is unconscious and passive while the 
spirit controls his hand to write, as the prophets 
of old uttered involuntarily the words with which 
they were inspired. Head the rapt, ecstatic, and 
poetic utterances of Balaam again. 

But the great conservative doctrine of the spirit- 
ual teachers whom we are now following is, that 



SPHERES, ROBERT DALE OWEN. 1<>7 

these mysterious utterances are fallible. Some- 
how we are all ready to concede that any thing 
coming from such a source, must be of absolute 
authenticity; as when a friend goes to a distant 
land of which wonderful things have been told, 
we receive his report as conclusive, so when a 
spirit from the Spirit-land tells us any thing about 
that world, we are ready to believe it explicitly. 
But one contradicts another, so there must be 
error. So the Bible tells of lying spirits and fa 1 se 
prophets, and even warns us against believing a 
prophet whose signs come to pass, if his teachings 
would seduce us from the worship and the law of 
God. These false spirits have power to work 
miracles, so as to deceive the chosen ones, if it were 
possible. 

The spirits are faintly sketching out a series or 
gradation of spheres, bearing some analogy to 
that indicated by the mention of the third heaven 
and paradise in the Scriptures. They expressly 
claim to be employed as ministering spirits. 

The appearance in shining raiment, which so 
vividly recalled to Robert Dale Owen the descrip- 
tion of the transfiguration, is an instance of con- 
formity of these modern epiphanies to ancient and 
sacred models, which excites admiration, awe, and 
almost reverence. What a glorious glimpse of 
uniformity of order, law, prevailing even in these 
ethereal domains ! 

The expounders of this new doctrine, admit that 
men are not ripe for it yet, and they cite the lan- 
guage of on r Savior (John 16: 12). "I have yet 
tunny things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear 
them now. Howbeit when he shall come, the 
spirit of the truth will guide you into all the truth : 
and he will shew yon tilings to come. He shall 

florifyme" (So 14: 16,26). They say men must 
e grounded in certain principles of knowledge 



108 THE SUBJECT RESUMED. 

and faith, before they can make good use of 
spiritual gifts. The present generation is not 
ready for these facts. Strange as it appeared to 
Gibbon, that eminent writers on science and his- 
tory, in the first century, failed to notice or men- 
tion the darkness that occurred at the time of the 
crucifixion of Christ, the fact of his resurrection, 
and the many other prodigies that were connected 
with the rise of Christianity — it is still stranger 
that the great authors of this day, of every depart- 
ment of literature, science and speculation, nearly 
all ignore the existence of such phenomena, or 
grasp them daintily, if at all, with long tongs with 
nonconducting handles. These manifestations do 
not come within the domain of any of their depart- 
ments of knowledge, yet they concern them all — 
physics, optics, electricity, meteorology, pneumat- 
ics, physiology, mental philosophy, theology, 
religion. 

Ridicule is a terrible successor to the old Dragon 
persecution. Will a man who wishes to be con- 
sidered sane, gravely say that he has clipped oft 
a piece of the robe of a spiritual visitor, and, when 
required to show it, tell you that it melted away ? 
Will he constantly affirm that he has seen and 
talked with his friends who departed this life years 
ago, and that they promise him more abundant 
revelations — that the time is coming when men 
will be taught no more in parables, but will be 
told plainly of the truth of life and immortality % 
A few have been bold enough to speak out, and 
the derisive answer has come as usual, but the 
smile grows fainter. Ridicule cannot lift a pon- 
derous body, nor can levity bring it down when 
raised by invisible power. Here we have men 
affirming the power of an endless life, and reading 
messages from those who are numbered among the 
dead, proclaiming immortality, and witnessing 



CHEMICAL ACTION, FORCE. K>9 

that a ledge of rock is shaken without hand. 
Men smile because the tales that are told are 
strange and marvelous beyond example. "Thou 
shalt see greater tilings than these. Verily, verily, 
I say unto you, hereafter ye shall see Heaven open 
and the angels of God ascending and descend- 
ing on the Son of man." 

It was ridiculous to say the moon was made of 
green cheese, and twelve years ago, it would have 
been still more ridiculous or sublimely extrava- 
gant to pretend to say what the sun is made of, or 
what elements enter into the composition of Sirius 
or Canopus. But do enlightened men smile now 
when they are informed that there is sodium in 
one of the immense luminaries, and iron in anoth- 
er? Is spectrum analysis less marvelous than 
spectral apocalypse ? 

Another recent discovery or theory has a bear- 
ing on this subject. It has long been known that 
matter is indestructible, that conflagration or decay 
only changes the forms and elementary combina- 
tions, but does not annihilate one jot or tittle. So, 
now it is found that force, when once evolved or 
exerted, is not lost, but transferred from one object 
to another, and transmuted into a different form. 
Chemical action, heat and electricity will produce 
one another. The sun evaporates water from the 
sea, the atmosphere bears up the vapor on high, 
and when a cold current condenses the vapor into 
water again, the same amount of heat is liberated 
as was consumed in evaporation. The water falls 
to the earth, and flows down to the sea, turning 
mills in its course, and altogether expending a 
force equal to that which carried it up. 

A thousand ages ago, the light of the sun fell 
on rank soil, stimulated luxuriant action of Leaf 
and sap, and built op vast forests and masses of 
vegetable matter. Out of accumulated rafts of 



110 THE SUBJECT RESUMED. 

vegetation, coal was formed. And now that coal 
is unearthed and, in burning, evolves an amount 
of heat and light which is the exact equivalent of 
the solar force employed in the formation of the 
original organic matter. No power has been lost. 
The same is true of the forces exerted, forming 
animal structures, in muscular, mental, and spirit- 
ual efforts. This doctrine of conservation and 
correlation of forces, with the indestructibility of 
matter, will go far toward demonstrating the 
resurrection of the body and life everlasting. And 
again invoking the truth that all agents are impon- 
derable, impalpable, and, apparently, immaterial, 
of necessity, it follows that the spirit which 
energized all matter, which alone possesses origin- 
al, spontaneous power, and is power itself, must 
a fortiori maintain its existence and faculties, and 
be able to reappear in form. u And this is the 
Father' s will, that of all which he hath given me 
I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at 
the last day. I am that bread of life ; if any man 
eat of this bread, he shall live forever. It is the 
spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing." 

These analogies are presented to disarm that 
incredulity which stands on the presumption that 
such ideas of perpetuation and reappearance are 
without precedent or parallel. 

There are men who profess to account for all 
these so-called spiritual manifestations on scientific 
principles. What science it is, whether mental or 
physical, whether biology, magnetism, dynamics, 
or pneumatics, we are not informed. Rev. W. P. 
Harrison proposes to tell why the struck clock one ; 
and a religious paper of Nashville, says, "He ac- 
counted for all the phenomena which, by charlatans 
and simpletons, are attributed to spirits on physi- 
cal, physiological, and psychical principles." A 
standing offer of one thousand dollars awaits Dr. 



DR. HAMMOND, MAGICIANS. Ill 

Harrison, whenever he will, empirically, reproduce 
one of these phenomena, or discover the means by 
which they are effected on physical principles. 
They are, doubtless, all capable of being explain- 
ed on psychical principles. But psychical prin- 
ciples themselves must be first ascertained. 
Psyche herself is one of the coyest, most unap- 

Eroachable maidens in this world or the other. 
»r. William A. Hammond has also attempted to 
deny the genuineness of the phenomena, or to ac- 
count for them on some known principles in his 
"Physics and Physiology of Spiritualism," pub- 
lished in 1870. He arrays a large amount of 
evidence to prove that spiritual manifestations are 
invariably the result either of trickery or mental 
hallucinations, arising from the condition of the 
brain or nerves. He asserts that "no medium 
has ever yet been lifted into the air by spirits ; no 
one has ever read unknown writing through a 
closed envelop ; no one has ever lifted tables or 
chairs but by material agencies, and no one has 
ever spoken through the power of a spirit other 
than his own." All these things have been done 
to phenomena of each class there are unimpeach- 
able witnesses by some inscrutable agency, and 
not connected with any circle or advocate of Spir- 
itualists. When the magicians of Egypt imitated 
the actions of Moses and Aaron, and in a number 
of experiments, produced a like result, they did 
not disprove the reality of the phenomena or 
exhibition of divine power. But as soon as their 
enchantments failed in one trial, "they said unto 
Pharoah, this is the finger of (rod." 

Four years ago, the London Dialectical Society 
appointed a committee of thirty-four to investigate 
these alleged spiritual manifestations. The grand 
committee divided itself into six sub-committees, 
each of which conducted separate investigations 



112 THE SUBJECT KESTTMED. 

and made a separate report. Some proved nothing 
and disproved nothing ; some ascertained one 
thing and some another. Prof. Huxley and a 
number of other distinguished men, expressed 
an incredulity that scorned investigation. _ Com- 
mittee no longer had any doubt of the existence 
of a certain force which, under certain bodily or 
mental conditions of one or more persons present, 
can move heavy substances, and cause sounds to 
proceed from them, without contact with such 
substances ; and this force is frequently directed 
by intelligence. Number two had communication 
with spirits announcing themselves to be such, 
each spirit displaying individual characteristics. 
Number three, found a not generally recognized 
force, directed by intelligence, complying with 
requests, and spelling out sentences. The report 
of the general committee, states that sounds and 
movements of heavy bodies take place without 
muscular action or mechanical contrivance, or the 
contact of any person. These sounds and move- 
ments often occur as requested by persons present. 
The communications are generally commonplace, 
but facts are sometimes correctly given, which are 
known to only one of the persons present. This 
report was made three years after the committee 
was appointed. 

The negative results obtained by these investi- 
gations, neither prove nor disprove anything. The 
positive facts ascertained, are of equal value with 
those obtained in the progress of any inductive 
science. Disinterested and unintentional evidence 
to confirm every one of these facts, exists abund- 
antly, though widely scattered in time and space. 

See Appleton' s Journal, vol. iv, page 585. An- 
gelique Cottin was said to be so highly electrical, 
that her presence convulsed the loom at which 
she was weaving. Her influence increased till the 



M'LLE EMMERICH, THE SEERESS. 113 

furniture moved wherever she went, and a man 
seated on a tub near where she stood, was lifted, 
on his seat, into the air. She shocked people 
without contact, and caused a needle to oscillate. 
These effects were diminished when she was placed 
on non-conductors. 

M'lle Emmerich, of Strasbourg, became un- 
nerved by fright and suffered a long illness. She 
became so electrical, that she imparted shocks to all 
who came near her. But here is a clear instance of 
that connection between mind and force which this 
investigation often brings to our notice. ' ' Wishing 
to call the attention of her brother to herself, on 
one occasion, when he was in another part of the 
house, she sent him a severe shock by the mere 
force of her will." A man and wife, who were 
mediums, overtaxed their nervous energies and at 
last went mad. They were confined in different 
rooms of the same house. "Each was able to 
make impressions on the other, and each seemed 
conscious of the other's movements and feelings." 

The Seeress of Prevorst affirms that she saw 
spirits at all times, sleeping or waking. She made 
impressions on persons at a distance, and read 
correctly the writing on folded sheets of paper 
laid upon her person. The same connection be- 
tween the dynamics and the intellectual phenom- 
ena, were exemplified in her case. Gravel and 
ashes were there thrown about the house where 
she was, and a stool rose slowly to the ceiling, and 
then came down again. 

In Salisbury, Conn., November, 1802, things 
were mysteriously thrown into a shop and a dwell- 
ing-house. The articles thrown into the shop were 
pieces of wood, charcoal and stone, but princi- 
pally pieces of hard mortar, such as could not be 
found in the neighborhood. Nothing but stones 
were thrown into the dwelling-house. Nothing 



114 THE SUBJECT RESUMED. 

could be seen coming till the glass broke, and what- 
ever passed through fell directly down on the win- 
dow sill, as if put through with a person's fingers, 
and many pieces were thrown through the same 
hole in the glass in succession. See the same Jour- 
nal, vol. 6, page 626, for an account of stones, etc., 
falling in a tent, never visible till within six feet 
of the ground, coming straight down and leaving 
no hole in the tent-cloth. Once only a sort of 
melon fruit fell into a room, and the stem was 
afterward found. On page 333, is Lord Brough- 
am' s story of the appearance of the ghost of his 
friend Gf., in pursuance of a written agreement. 
He had not heard of G. for years, when he 
saw the vision on the nineteenth of December. Soon 
after returning to Edinburgh, Brougham received 
a letter from India, stating that Gr. had died on 
the nineteenth of December. Another plain case 
of an apparition, announcing the death of a sister 
at a distance, and marking the exact time of the 
death, as afterward verified, may be found in 
the same excellent Journal of October 26th, 1872. 
All these accounts are given with all the gravity and 
exactness of any historical narrative, or scientific 
report. They do not come through others at all 
connected with Spiritualistic movements, theories 
or excitements. They exhibit in the words of 
truth and soberness, all the essential features of 
the manifestations expressly claimed as spiritual, 
the connected "demonstration of the spirit and 
power," motive force, intelligence, sights, lights, 
sounds, and mental communication of persons 
separated by physical barriers and distance. 

Without claiming it as an original thought, I can 
not recall any place where I have found distinctly 
stated, the position that all the forces known to 
us, capable of producing any motion or other 
effects on matter, are imponderable agents, as heat, 



ELECTRICAL PERSONS. 115 

electricity, mind or spirit. Not a movement in 
the universe can be attributed to any material 
agent except as an instrument. The engine j> 
lifeless iron — the steam is equally powerless, dead 
matter — heat is the power. So the bones, mus- 
cles, sinews are all mere instruments of the mind, 
as the pen is an instrument for the hand — the 
mind or spirit is the power that wills and moves 
these instruments. When it is shown outside of 
all Spiritual associations that thought, sensation 
and signals are imparted from one person to 
another at a distance, out of sight, out of hearing, 
out of reach, and without any material link of 
connection, the essential elements of all the exhi- 
bitions termed spiritual are established as solid 
facts, and yet as the result of no physical force, 
law or instrument. Those phenomena ascribed 
to electrical persons, are far beyond any effects 
produced by the highest charges of electricity in 
artificial batteries. Experimenters are sometimes 
knocked down by a shock from accidental contact 
with batteries of their own charging, but a man 
has never been lifted slowly into the air by the 
inductive force of such charges. Electricity does 
not throw one stone through a pane of glass, and 
then throw others through the hole thus made. 
It does not drop missiles in invisible form till near 
the ground ; nor does it take up stones that have 
been thrown down a precipice one hundred and 
fifty feet high, into a raging torrent, and drop 
them again, still wet, into the apartment from 
which they had just been thrown. 

That these phenomena are generally associated 
with a peculiar condition of body and mind, of 
the air and other surroundings, does not favor 
any materialistic view of the case. The facts do 
strongly indicate that there is a kind of ethereal 
medium, through which these gifted persons can 



116 THE SUBJECT RESUMED. 

perceive the locality, condition and thoughts of 
others, and can send vibrations to them that are 
strongly felt ; as the voice is conveyed to the ear 
from man to man, and as light and" heat are sup- 
posed to be transmitted from one celestial orb to 
another. Still the same connection appears be- 
tween spirit and power, intelligence and motion. 
The evolution of the principle of the correlation 
and conservation of force and its application to 
this mysterious agency, that seems to know and 
do so many things, may prove to be another 
immense stride in human advancement. 

Already the means are secured by which the 
physical and temporal well-being of mankind 
may be promoted to the full measure of complete 
happiness for individuals and for societies, so far 
as material conditions can produce happiness. 
Food, raiment, and all other appliances that con- 
tribute to man' s bodily comfort, can be abundant- 
ly supplied ; these supplies can be conveyed and 
distributed to all countries ; men can travel and 
send letters throughout the circuit of the earth, 
with speed and convenience ; yea, they can, in one 
hour, exchange messages with one another from 
opposite sides of the globe, and all the inhabitants 
oi the world may converse together about any 
great event on the very day of its occurrence, and 
all by the extension of works now rapidly going 
forward to universel application. Knowledge of 
material things is advancing with almost equal 
promise of attaining perfection. 

No corresponding advance has heretofore been 
made in spiritual knowledge and proof of immor- 
tality. With all those material requisites, human 
happiness cannot be greatly increased without 
spiritual and mental self-knowledge, moral and 
religious principles, to guide us in the use and 
distribution of treasures and faculties which we 



CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 



117 



have in possession or in prospect; and without 
some release from that bondage in which we pass 
our lives by reason of the fear of death. Theologi- 
ans eagerly avail themselves of wedge-shaped 
inscriptions, of the Moabite stone, or of relics dug 
up from the tomb of ancient Nineveh, as confirm- 
ations strengthening proof of Holy Writ, without 
incurring the blame of unbelief in the evidences pre- 
viously existing. Why may not a professed Chris- 
tian likewise appeal to those manifestations of 
intelligence and power as demonstrations of spirit- 
ual existence and immortality ? 

Religion alone is unquestionably capable of 
remedying those defects which would defeat 
human happiness, even when the earth is fully sub- 
dued and replenished. "Religion is a practical 
belief in God and immortality, and as the latter 
is now essential to the idea of Religion as a motive 
moral power, and as it includes belief in God, Reli- 
gion is synonymous with a belief in immortality. 
Only that which can be proved to be true on suffi- 
cient evidence, can be positively known to be use- 
ful. The resurrection of Jesus Christ does present 
actual scientific evidence for immortality" (Rev. 
T. W. Fowle, Contemporary Review). 

How can men be induced to receive favorably 
the abundant historical evidence of that wonder- 
ful events By no means better than by knowing 
that persons lately deceased have also made some 
kind of appearance and communication to living 
men. Even when the signals were slight and 
obscure, it was well worth while to attend to them. 
Even yet, with all that spirits profess to write and 
speak and exhibit of themselves, their messages 
appear too insignificant for words coming from 
another world. The scientific man says the pheno- 
mena do not interest him. To me they appear the 



118 THE SUBJECT RESUMED. 

most interesting events that have occurred since 
the days of St. John the divine. 

Over two thousand years ago, it was noticed 
that a piece of amber, after friction, would draw 
to it light particles, as a magnet would attract 
small bits of metal. This was all. It was curious, 
mysterious. Often the amber was rubbed, and its 
power vivified for amusement, and then the whole 
chain of electrical phenomena — one link — was 
measured. It was a very small and unimportant 
operation. Scarcely any thing more was done for 
twenty centuries, but at last the phenomenon was 
worked on a larger scale, like effects were pro- 
duced by other means, facts were accumulated, 
and some laws ascertained. And now, at last, 
the news of Europe is reported by this electric 
power, all over America, on the same day on 
which the events occur. So of the magnet. The 
astronomer, through his telescope, beholds enor- 
mous storms raging in the flaming atmosphere of 
the Sun, and, at the same hour, every magnetic 
needle on earth vibrates wildly in sympathy with 
the solar disturbance, and at night, the beautiful 
beacon in our northern sky is lit up, as a signal 
that there is war in the celestial elements. How 
little did men dream that the primitive loadstone 
sustained such high relations ? It is possible that 
the phenomena beginning with simple taps of an 
undiscoverable visitor, may be traced through a 
widening connection, until they are found to pro- 
ceed from powers and intelligences that pervade 
both earth and heaven. 

One more thought. Not only are all known 
forces immaterial, but they are all destitute of 
automatic and autocratic properties, except mind 
or spirit. They have to be evolved, kindled and 
applied by some agent capable of an original act 
of will. A primordial mass of nebulous matter is 



Force. 119 

created, formed or furnished ; the Almighty Crea- 
tor condenses this mass by external pressure, or, 
as we understand it, by the laws of gravitation, 
cohesion and chemical union which he impo 
upon matter. Condensation evolves heat, and 
this form of force, by successive transformations, 
exhibits every other imponderable agent. So 
combustion, the combination ol elements, and 
friction, cause heat ; but a thinking, willing agent 
must start the fire, or bring the materials together. 
A cunning hand must turn the throttle valve, or 
make and break the magnetic circuit at will. The 
hand must be actuated and directed by spirit and 
intellect, Electric forces alone seem capable, some- 
times, of being incited by mental action without 
material instrumentality or contact. 

So all active force is resolved inl o mind and 
spirit. God is a Spirit, and all powers and spirits 
emanate from him. It is the spirit that quickeneth. 
His word, wisdom, or logic emanal ion, is the power 
by which all things were made. Whether as mind 
or as power, the spirits which ho has sent forth 
are indestructible, immortal. W ly, then, should 
it be thought an unreasonable ;h.ing that they 
should manifest themselves to the eye, to the ear, 
to the touch, and to the understa ding, after they 
cease to quicken these bodies of i 0sh \ 

The show of force, motion, lig!:. or sound, pro- 
ceeding from no assignable physical source, might 
well have engaged the attention i I scientific men. 
The constant affirmation that the fiving converse 
with the dead, might have men *d the serious 
consideration of the ministers of Religion. But 
have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed? 
Some have come secretly, by night, for fear of 
excommunication. Gentiles, like Cornelius, and 
that other centurion of Capernaum, and that one 
who commanded the company detailed for the 



120 THE SUBJECT RESUMED. 

crucifixion, and the Syrophenician woman, have 
accepted the signs without hesitation, exhibiting 
such credulity as is not found in the regular 
Israelites. A few men, prominent in the church, 
in literature, in science, and in the legal profes- 
sion, have boldly avowed their belief. Robert 
Dale Owen, having carefully investigated the sub- 
ject for fifteen or twenty years, frankly tenders a 
large collection of facts and evidences to the 
Protestant clergy, as the means of giving increased 
vitality to the doctrine of immortality, and of 
breaking down the barriers that have kept theolo- 
gy stationary for ages, while all other sciences 
have made portentous progress. Some of his 
views seem erroneous ; they are certainly hetero- 
dox ; "ours" being "orthodox." But these 
" intermundane communications" converted him 
from a skeptic to a believer in the most marvelous 
narratives of the New Testament, especially the 
one fact on which the whole system of the Chris- 
tian Religion depends — the resurrection of Jesus 
Christ. He would take away the prestige of 
infallibility, not only from the Pope, the Council 
and the Congregation, but also from all writings 
penned or translated by human agency. This 
would give a flexibility to the Scriptures that 
might preserve all their moral and spiritual teach- 
ings, notwithstanding the seeming inconsistency 
between other parts of these writings, and the facts 
ascertained by scientific authority. 

The invariable preservation of law and order 
even in the most wonderful works, is another car- 
dinal doctrine of the Debatable Land, as of The 
Clock Struck One. How the birth of Jesus — "and 
who shall declare his generation?" — may be thus 
compassed in conformity with law, was suggested 
to him in a spiritual communication, page 268, 
269, and 447. This startling idea is not destitute 



EDITOR S. Q. REVIEW. 121 

of some support from analogy in theparthenogen- 
etic offspring alluded to by Prof. Hartshorns, at 
the scientific meeting, in 1872. But new fields 
open too rapidly for even a hasty survey. To 
finish this examination would be difficult ; to com- 
plete it would be impossible ; but it must be ended 
at present. HENRY G. HALL. 

March 30, 1873. 



WHAT WESLEY, DR. CLARKE AND RICHARD 
WATSON BELIEVED ON THIS SUBJECT. 



The editor of the Southern Quarterly Review 
having returned the manuscript to the Author, he 
wrote the foregoing, and sent all to me to publish. 
Believing him to be as capable of writing on the 
other side as any one in the church, I have given 
the public the benefit of all he has written in regard 
to it. 

He says, in the commencement of his " resume," 
"He has published a pamphlet called Clock 
Struck Two, in which he reviews some of his 
critics, and vindicates his consistency as a Metho- 
dist minister, in accepting the facts of spiritual 
manifestation. It is difficult to see wherein thai 
society has committed itself to any position in 
regard to the question, but Mr. Watson shows 



122 wesley's jouekal. 

conclusively that John Wesley and Adam Clark 
were heretics equally with himself, if it be heresy 
to believe in the manifestation of spirits after their 
departure from the body." It is a matter of 
astonishment that Methodist preachers who quote, 
in the pulpit, these authors as the highest human 
authority, can be so much opposed to their views 
in regard to spiritual manifestations. What I 
claim is, that Rev. John Wesley, the founder of 
the Methodist Church, did fully believe that the 
spirits of persons who had lived here had return- 
ed and identified themselves to their friends on 
earth. If the reader has any doubt on this sub- 
ject, he should read "The Wesley Family," by 
Dr. Adam Clark. He can not question the belief 
of those distinguished divines. Then let him read 
Mr. Wesley' s Journal, and he will soon ascertain 
what was Mr. Wesley's belief by the numerous 
cases he gives upon the " best human testimony." 
I will make an extract from the London edition 
of his works, vol. iv, page 358. He says : 

" I willingly take this opportunity of entering 
my solemn protest against this violent compliment 
which so many that believe the Bible pay to those 
who do not believe it. I owe them no such service. 
I take knowledge that these are at the bottom 
of the outcry which has been raised, and with such 
insolence spread throughout the nation, in direct 
opposition, not only to the Bible, but the suffrage 
of the wisest and the best of men, in all ages and 
nations. They well know (whether Christians 
know it or not), that the giving up these things is 



THE INDIANS. 123 

in effect giving np the Bible. And they know, on 
the other hand, that if but one account of the 
intercourse of men with separate spirits be admit- 
ted, their whole castle in the air — Deism, Atheism, 
Materialism — falls to the ground. I know no 
reason, therefore, why we should suffer even 
this weapon to be wrested out of our hands. In- 
deed, there are numerous arguments, besides, 
which abundantly confute their vain imaginations. 
But we need not be hooted out of one ; neither 
reason or religion requires this." 

Mr. Wesley gives in his Journal, an interview 
he had with the Indians when he came over to 
Georgia, in July, 1736. He says they told him : 

"We talk of them and to them at home and 
abroad, in peace and in war, before and after we 
fight, and, indeed, whenever and wherever we 
meet together." 

Again, he says : 

" Meeting with a Frenchman, oi New Orleans, 
on the Mississippi, who lived several months 
among the Chickasaw s, he gave us a full and 
particular account of many things which had been 
variously related. And hence he could not but 
remark what is the religion of nature, properly 
so-called, or that which flows from natural reason 
unassisted by revelation ; and that even in those 
who have the knowledge of many truths, and who 
converse with their beloved ones day and night." 

I copy from Wesley's Journal, page 364, what 
he states on the best human testimony : 

"A little before Michaelmas day, 1763, my lu< »th- 



124 wesley's experience. 

er, who was a good young man, went to sea. The 
day after Michaelmas day, about midnight, I saw 
him stand at my bedside surrounded with a glori- 
ous light and looking earnestly at me. That night 
the ship on which he sailed, split on a rock, and 
all the crew were drowned. 

"On the 9th of April, 1767, about midnight, I 
was lying awake, and saw my brother John 
standing by my bedside, just at the time he died 
in Jamaica." 

Mr. Wesley says, in a foot-note, "So a spirit 
finds no difficulty in traveling three or four thous- 
and miles in a moment." 

Page 369: 

"On Friday, July 3d, I was sitting at dinner, 
when I thought I heard some one coming along 
the passage. I looked about, and saw my aunt, 
Margaret Scott, of New Castle, standing at my 
back. On Saturday, I had a letter informing me 
that she died that day." 

I could give many pages from Mr. Wesley, 
showing his belief in these things, but it is unneces- 
sary. I think I have given sufficient to show his 
belief to be in harmony with similar cases which 
have occurred in our midst, published in "Clock 
Struck One. ' ' The manifestations made in the Wes- 
ley family, in England, commencing in the year 
1716, contains many features developed in modern 
times. These continued with some members of 
the family for over thirty years. I purchased the 
Memoirs of the Wesley Family, by Dr. Adam 
Clark, from the Methodist book establishment, 



125 

in London, in which there is a full account of 
these things given in detail, by a member of the 
family, and endorsed by Dr. Adam Clark, the 
most critical commentator that ever wrote. Hear 
what he says upon this subject : 

1. "I believe there is a supernatural and spirit- 
ual world, in which human spirits, both good and 
bad, live in a state of consciousness. 

2 " I believe there is an invisible world, in which 
various orders of spirits not human, live and act. 

3. "I believe that any of these spirits may, 
according to the order of God in the laws of their 
place of residence, have intercourse with this 
world, and become visible to mortals." 

See his commentary on 1 Samuel, xvm chapter. 

This is Modern Spiritualism, so far as the 
phenomena are concerned. It embraces the high- 
est phase of it. To see our friends and converse 
with them face to face, is now the privilege of 
thousands. 

I have received quite a number of letters from 
ministers in the M. E. Church South, who have 
read " Clock Struck One," who state emphatical- 
ly that they have found no heresy in the book, 
and express their astonishment that the church or 
conference should have been opposed to its circu- 
lation. "Doctors, however, will differ," and I 
believe in the full liberty to express our opinions, 
however diverse they may be from others, without, 
however, its affecting our personal relations. 

A distinguished Methodist minister writes to 
me from the other side: "The standpoint yon 



126 A spirit's endorsement. 

occupy is strictly Scriptural and Methodistical, 
I care not who denies it ; yet there are many who 
are not. These are the ones I am endeavoring to 
impress differently, that what may be presented to 
the world may result in the edification and redemp- 
tion of mankind. I want you to adhere to Wes- 
ley, Clark and other divines, who have long since 
opened the channel, but which has been clogged 
by impediments floating in the way. They only 
enclosed a field to be cultivated by their succes- 
sors. This mighty vacuum is being filled up by 
just such men as you, my dear Christian brother. 
There is much harmony in the effect produced by 
what you have circulated to those who are anx- 
ious, bold, and never swerving from the truth, and 
they are only established in the faith by their 
reasoning and information derived from your pen. 
We are gladly watching the light as it has burst 
upon us, and we know a bright day will succeed. 
We are very buoyant with this impression or 
knowledge. We have more occult senses of per- 
ception than you are aware, and we want you to 
do what is your duty. I have been engaged in 
the good work of ministering to others, and 
impressing not only you, but others. You are 
not aware, sir, of the reformation that is going on 
in the land. You are not the only one who is 
trying to spread light to a poor, darkened and 
benighted multitude. ' ' 

I asked him if he would write something to be 
published on the subject. His answer was, "I 
don't think I could control the medium sufficient- 



A MESSAGE. 127 

\y to write what I would want appear to the world 
as coming from me. I will dictate for you any- 
time. I will try to impress you what to write, 
but in a quiet way. I can and will do this. I 
have done it more than once. 

"lam a co-laborer in the heavenly vineyard, 
and am watching with undiminished interest upon 
the poor, weak mortals of earth, and am vastly 
astonished that the conduct of so many, who are 
undoubtedly believers in the great theme which 
is stirring the world to such a commotion, seems 
the reverse of their candid opinion. Why should 
any one attempt to deny the truth, and make an 
effort to subdue or conquer what will eventually 
spread and widen till it covers the whole world 
with its great, happy and powerful influence? 
Why does not every one see the beauty in it, as we 
do % But no one is aware of the beauty of any 
object, or the heat, while in a latent state, but 
just let the eyes be opened, then how readily do 
they exclaim, ' 0, the beauty which has so long 
been undeveloped, and how glorious to our sensi- 
tive nerves, is the ignition of the latent heat. How 
I enjoy the effects of both.' 

" It is thus with earth's erring ones. Their eyes 
are closed, their hands idle, their minds dormant. 
Did they know, Bro. Watson, how much happi- 
ness they would insure by a different course, they 
certainly would not be so profligate. The light is 
dawning, the rays are radiating from the source 
and ere long the whole world will be under the 



128 A MESSAGE. 

powerful influence of this light, as a room is from 
the burning tapers. 

"lam so happy — yes, so happy. 0, blessed 
thought ! I see the world, how its tottering heads 
are being crowned with laurels, and their once 
wayward feet have been turned in the paths seek- 
ing wisdom, steering them in the direction to find 
truth and blessed immortality. They stop to 
wonder — how much I have lost, how much I have 
gained. 

"If I could but impress many of my earth 
friends, I would be so much happier. We rejoice 
to see a wandering one of God' s children coming 
home to him the second time — I mean seeking and 
finding this spiritual light, which has a tendency 
to increase the love for the Savior — the great foun- 
tain of all joy, peace and love; the original of 
all that emanates from him which is spiritual and 
holy. They that earnestly inquire after truth 
for truth's sake, shall receive a recompense of 
reward, but the idle curiosity with which many 
approach the subject of spirit communion, shall 
not be gratified. 

"I am much gratified to talk with you, Bro. 
Watson, but I am so anxious to talk and have so 
much to say, that I can't find a place to begin, 
nor one to stop. You have my sincere and earnest 
applause for what you have written, and a deep 
solicitude for what you contemplate writing ; but, 
my dear brother, be careful what you say, what 
you write, what you do, and although you can't 
control thoughts arising, still you can refuse to 



A MESSAGE. 129 

entertain any but good thoughts, and do not, I 
beg of you, associate with any one who does not 
view this subject in the respectful and religious 
manner it deserves. We never intrude ourselves 
upon any one who doubts the sincerity of our 
mission, but wait, watch, and accept every thing 
that may chance to fall in our way, or for the great 
cause. 

"Your minister, Bro. Surratt, is an indepen- 
dent and deep thinker, and is somewhat inclined 
to make searching inquiries, but his mind is such 
a one that should be curbed in this matter, or else 
it may become intensely interested and wonder- 
fully fascinated, for it is a subject for research and 
profound investigation, and he is so capable of 
grasping it, he had better wait till a more i con- 
venient' season. This is what I believe, but don't 
think me too presumptuous or dictatorial. Will 
he excuse me % 

"We can impress you any time what to write 
when you begin, but we can not give you matter 
for your work, only through you, Bro. Watson." 

Let us notice what Richard \yatson, the most 
intellectual man the Methodist Church ever had, 
says upon this subject. In his commentary on 
Samuel, he says: "The real Samuel appeared, 
and the message uttered is so much in character 
and so manifestly breathes the spirit of the divine 
commission, that containing, as it does, an explicit 
prediction which was exactly accomplished, we 
must conclude (let loose and skeptical commenta- 
tors conjecture what they please) that there was 



130 INCIDENT IN 1856. 

no deception here. The account not only shows 
that the Jews believed in the doctrine of appari- 
tions, but that, in fact, such an appearance on 
this occasion did actually occur, which answers 
all the objections which were ever raised, or can 
be raised, from the philosophy of the case, against 
the possibility of the appearance of departed spir- 
its." See his conversations, page 101. 

I think I have now copied enough from these 
three founders of the Methodist Church, to show 
that so far as the phenomena are concerned, that 
I am in harmony with these eminent divines, which 
is all I ever claimed. 

I copy from the Methodist Magazine, publish- 
ed in Baltimore, in 1856. It first appeared in the 
Methodist Magazine in my boyhood. 

AN ACCOUNT GIVEN BY THIS DISTINGUISHED 
DIVINE. 

Mr. Watson further informed Mr. Summerfield 
that he was intimately acquainted with Mr. Mills, 
and knew him to be a man of the greatest moral 
worth, and by no means credulous. 

Mr. Mills had traveled a circuit in England, 
in which lived a man by the name of James, with 
whom, his wife and children, he had been inti- 
mately acquainted, and at whose house he lodged, 
in passing around the circuit. He left the circuit, 
after having traveled it one year, to attend the 
Conference, and was again returned to it a second 
time. But in the interim an epidemic disease had 
prevailed in the place where James resided, and 
both himself and his wife were carried off by it 



WHISPERS. 131 

suddenly, and within a short time of each other. 
Mr. Mills, however, as usual, went to his old 
lodging, which was then occupied by the children, 
but felt gloomy and distressed at finding the abode 
no longer enlivened by the presence of its former 
pious heads, who had been his intimate Mends, 
and in this state of mind retired to rest, in the 
same room in which, on former occasions, he had 
been in the habit of sleeping. 

Soon after lying down, however, Mr. Mills, with 
considerable astonishment, heard, as he supposed, 
some persons whispering in an adjoining room, 
into which he immediately repaired, to ascertain 
who they were, but found no one. He again lay 
down, and concluded that he must have been 
mistaken, but the circumstance brought to his 
recollection a rumor which he had heard, at a 
place not very distant, and to which he had paid 
but little attention, that James and his wile had 
been seen several times since their death. While 
thinking on this rumor, he again heard the whis- 
pering renewed; this increased his surprise, and a 
second time he arose and searched the room, but 
with the same result. He arose the third time, 
from the same cause, but after a strict search, 
could find no one. After this he resolved to dis- 
regard it, and fell into a sleep and heard nothing 
more. The next morning he left the house with- 
out mentioning the circumstance to the children, 
to attend an appointment, about three miles dis- 
tant, and as usual dined at the house of a pious 
old lad}- in the neighborhood of the place. This 



132 EXPERIENCE OF NANNY. 

woman, though poor and aged, had always insist- 
ed on the preachers' staying with her; and 
through respect for her age and excellent charac- 
ter, they indulged her wishes. She had provided 
for Mr. Mills a frugal repast, but declined eating 
with him, stating that she preferred waiting on 
him. 

The old lady was generally known by the famil- 
iar name of Nanny, and by this name she was call- 
ed by the preachers. While Mr. Mills was eating 
his morsel. Nanny, who was seated some dis- 
tance from him, said, " Mr. Mills, I have a request 
to make of you." " Well, Nanny," he replied, 
what is it? " Why, ' ' said she, * ' ' that you preach 
my funeral sermon on the next Sabbath." The 
request astonished Mr. Mills, who, looking at her 
with surprise, said, " Nanny, what is the matter 
with you, have you lost your senses?" "Oh no, 
sir," she replied, " I know perfectly well what I 
am talking about, for I shall die on Friday, at 
three o'clock in the afternoon, and though you 
will be some miles from this place, I want you to 
comply with my request, and if you have ever 
known any thing good of me, that may be service- 
able to others, you can tell it." 

' ' But, ' ' said Mr. M. , " before I promise to com- 
ply with your request, I shall be much gratified 
if you would inform me how you know that you 
will die on Friday, this being on Tuesday." 
"Then, sir, I will inform you. You know that 
reports have been in circulation, that James and his 
wife have been seen in different places, by various 



THE APPARITIONS. 133 

persons, since their death." "True," said Mr. 
M., "but I regard it as mere rumor." "But, 
sir," she replied, "I saw them this morning!" 
"You saw them?" "Indeed I did, sir. Early 
this morning, while sweeping my entry, I looked 
up toward the road, and I saw two persons, a man 
and a woman, coming toward the house, who 
appeared to me to resemble James and his wife. 
I ceased to sweep, and looked steadily at them, 
until they came near to me, when I found it really 
was them." Said Mills: "Why, Nanny, were 
you not afraid V "Me afraid! Mr. Mills," she 
replied, "what had I to fear? Indeed, I was not 
afraid, for I knew James and his wife in this world, 
and I am sure they were good people, and I was 
quite certain they had not become bad since they 
left it. Well, sir, as I was saying, they came up 
to me, and I said, ' James, is that you V And he 
said, ' Yes, Nanny, it is me, you are not deceived, 
and this is my wife.' And I said : ' James, are 
you happy V And he replied : ' I am, and so is 
my wife, and our happiness far exceeds any thing 
we ever conceived of in this world.' 'But,' said 
I, ' James, if you are so happy, why have you 
returned V To which he replied : ' Strange as it 
may appear to you, there is still a mysterious tie 
existing between us and our friends in this world, 
which will not be dissolved until the resurrection, 
and also, Nanny, you know that I and my wife 
died suddenly, in consequence of which it lias 
been supposed that I left no will, and in order to 
prevent some uneasiness which is likely to exist 



134 THE LAST WILL. 

among the children, respecting my property, we 
have been permitted to return to the world and 
inform some person that I did make a will, and 
where it may be found. We went,' he continued, 
1 last night to our former mansion, to inform Mr. 
Mills respecting the will, but found he was some- 
what frightened, and, therefore, concluded not to 
tell him, but to see you this morning, and request 
you to inform him, as he will dine with you to- 
day, for we passed him on the road, and we knew, 
Nanny, that you would not be frightened.' 'No, 
indeed, James, I am not alarmed,' I replied, ' for I 
am vast glad to see you, especially since you are 
happy.' 'The will,' he said, /is in a private 
drawer, in the desk, which opens by a secret 
spring (here giving a full description of it), which 
the children do not know of, and the executors 
live in the neighborhood. Request Mr. Mills,' he 
said, ' to return to the house after dinner, and he 
will find the will, and can see the executors, and 
can have things satisfactorily settled in the family. 
And,' said he, 'Nanny, we are permitted to inform 
you that on Friday next, at three o' clock in the 
afternoon, you will die and be with us !' ' Oh ! 
James,' I replied, ' I am vast glad to hear it. I 
wish it was Friday now.' 'Well,' said he, 'be 
ready for the messenger will certainly call for you 
at that hour.' I replied : 'Don't fear, James, by 
the grace of God, I will be ready,' and he left 
me." 

Mr. Mills heard the account with no small 
degree of astonishment, and concluded to return 



DEATH OF NANNY. 135 

to the house whence he came in the morning. 
Without the Least difficulty, he found the drawer 
and will. He also saw the executors, and was 
pleased to find that the will gave full satisfaction 
to all concerned. On the following Friday, at 
three o'clock, pious Nanny died, and Mr. Mills 
informed Mr. Watson, that he preached hei 
funeral sermon on the succeeding Sabbath. 

I copy the concluding paragragh of a review ol 
one of the reviewers by one of our city editors : 

If a member of the Methodist Church, gives an 
honest expression of his outer life to the world > 
why should he be required to make every thing 
come within the Procrustean limits marked out 
by others ? And if he honestly gives his fellow- 
man a history of his inner life, of his spiritual 
aspirations and experience, shall he be cast out 
because he has obeyed the " still small voice " 
which is purer and mightier than creed or cate- 
chism? To the mind and conscience of Mr. 
Watson, the fathers of the Methodist Church, 
believed as he believes. But suppose they did 
not? Shall a man be false to his own convictions? 
Shall he quench the spirit? Shall he say : "I will 
never go beyond the phylactery which is on my 
arm?" If St. Paul could enter into the third 
heavens while he was still in the iiesh, why can 
not others do so, in 1872? The spiritual laws are 
as fixed as those which are material. If Elijah 
and Moses returned to Palestine in the days of our 
Savior Jesus Christ, why can not they come to 
America in 1872 ? The preachers are constantly 



136 CREEDS AND CATECHISM. 

telling mankind that they are growing not in grace 
but in sin ; not in faith but in unbelief; and yet, 
when the world, as it now does, asks for a single 
little fact about the life which is or is not to be, 
the preachers, instead of conceding the right to 
ask, stop all inquiry by crying infidelity. This 
will not reform the world. Rev. Samuel Wat- 
son understands the religious situation better 
than his opponents. The world is beseeching 
the church for spiritual food, but it insists on 
distributing the old husks of creeds and catechism 
and precedents, calling them spiritual manna from 
heaven. The world refuses to believe in the mere 
preacher or priest. Give us more faith in God 
and in man. 



137 



PKEFACE TO PART II. 



DEFINITION OF THE SUBJECT— UNIVERSAL LAW. 



Having written all that I ever desire to say, in 
regard to " The Old Clock," and the old "Israel- 
itish Statutes," I am done with them. Progres- 
sion being the universal law of material, as well 
as spiritual subjects, they, having accomplished 
their mission, must give place to other and more 
important phases of the subject. 

I wish now to show the harmony between 
Christianity, Science and Spiritualism. By 
Christianity, I do not mean all that we hear from 
the pulpit as such. Far from it. Nor do I mean 
all that is embraced in the creeds and catechisms 
of the churches, for these do not harmonize among 
themselves; nor do I recognize the interpreta- 
tion of the Bible as given by them, as of infallible 
authority. 

True science is of God, and must, of necessity, 
be in harmony with His works and ways, as 
developed in what we call Nature, and the laws 



138 UNIVEESAL LAW. 

by which the material universe is governed. These 
laws are as immutable and unchangeable as the 
character of God himself. They act uniformly 
in every age and nation in this world, and I be- 
lieve the same principles exist and are in opera- 
tion throughout the immensity of the countless 
millions of worlds which roll in glorious grandeur 
in unlimited space. The ignorance of these laws 
on our earth has, in every age and nation, been 
productive of the wildest vagaries in regard to the 
supernatural. It has been the custom of mankind, 
when they could not analyze or comprehend the 
operation of these laws, to attribute them to mirac- 
ulous interposition or something supernatural. 
This has given rise to countless errors which may 
take much more time yet to correct. Light is 
being shed forth — the day is dawning upon the 
world, when the things which have been regarded 
with such superstitious reverence, will be demons- 
trated to be nothing more than the operation of laws 
which have been in existence from the beginning, 
and which science will show to be in perfect har- 
mony with one universal whole. 

These laws not only prevail in the material, but 
extend throughout the spiritual universe. Man 
becomes a subject of these laws from his concep- 
tion, through his earth-life, and when he passes 
from this, his material, infantile plane, and enters 
upon his real state of being in the spiritual world, 
he is still a subject of the same universal law 
adapted to his new place or plane of existence. 
These laws not only follow him, or are omnipres- 



UNIVERSAL LAW. 189 

ent, but fix his state and "place" in perfect har- 
mony with the principles of love and mercy. If 
he has violated the physical laws of his being 
here, sooner or later he receives his reward in the 
present state ; so, if he has violated the moral 
and spiritual law, as his moral and spiritual 
natures are carried with him, he must, of necessity, 
reap the fruit of his doings. The seed he has 
sown here will produce fruit of the same nature 
"over there," without any special interposition 
of any other being than himself, and the laws he 
has violated or which he has obeyed. There is a 
philosophy in this view of this intensely interest- 
ing subject, which I believe will be demonstrated 
by Christianity, when it is properly understood. 
Science and Spiritualism, when they are also 
properly comprehended, will confirm the univer- 
sality of law in the domain of the spiritual 
spheres. 

By Spiritualism, I do not mean the vagaries 
and incongruities which emanate from disordered 
minds and morals in both worlds ; but a rational, 
intelligent system of communications between per- 
sons in both worlds, whose intellectual and moral 
status are capable of appreciating and improving, 
the laws and principles to which I have briefly 
referred. 



140 



CHAPTEE I. 



UNIVERSAL COMMUNICATION— SWEDENBORG--WES- 

LEY— IMPORTANT DISCOVERIES— MAGNET- 

ISM— SUPERSTITION— FANATICISM. 



In all ages and among all nations of whose 
history we have any written account, there are 
facts recorded demonstrating that there have 
always been communications between the natural 
and the spiritual world. It is true that many of 
them are but a shadowy outline of the existence 
of a future world, yet in accurate detail and fidel- 
ity to the facts, show the universality of this great 
truth. The ladder that Jacob, in vision, saw, 
whose foot was on the earth, while the top reached 
to heaven, was a type of the universality of these 
communications. The ascending of the angels, 
before the descending, shows that their origin was 
on earth, and their destination heaven. On the 
walls of man's dwelling places, ever have been 
seen the writing inscribed by " a part of a man's 
hand," as when Belshazzar's doom was written at 
his impious feast. These mystic writings have 
been discovered wherever man has penetrated the 
mysteries of the past ages. This " supernatural- 
ism" is a powerful, invisible existence, which 



SWEDENBORG, WESLEY, SHAKERS. 141 

encloses all human life, and shapes, to ' some 
extent, the destiny of the human family. To trace 
these manifestations and their influence upon man, 
is the object of our present undertaking. There 
has been a gradual unfolding of these mysterious 
phenomena, until "the invisible appears in sight," 
and the forms of loved, departed ones are seen 
with mortal eyes, and we hold sweet converse 
with them, face to face, as we did before they laid 
aside their mortal body. God's laws are uniform. 
He was thousands of years preparing the world 
for Christianity. It is not our purpose to notice 
the instrumentalities He has used to prepare the 
world for the reception of this most glorious truth 
to any extent. Some of those through whose 
instrumentality this preparation has been effected, 
deserve a passing notice. 

Foremost among these, are Swedenborg and 
John Wesley. The former was at least a century 
in advance of his age, while the latter was the 
founder of the most important religious move- 
ment of modern times. To what extent the spirit- 
ual manifestations in the Wesley family affected 
his mind and the moulding of that remarkable 
character which he possessed, can not now with 
certainty be determined. That he was a firm 
believer in spiritual communion, no one who lias 
ever read his journal, can for a moment question. 

The organization known as Shakers, ever since 
their foundation, over seventy years since, have 
had spiritual manifestations through visions, 
trance, clairvoyance, and clairaudience. The 



142 NEW ERA, GOLD AND SPIRITUAL LIGHT. 

particular visitation to which I wish to call special 
attention, at present, is that, in 1830, a multitude 
of spiritual beings with the most solemn and 
forcible tokens of their presence, in a variety oi 
phenomenal ways, indicated the approach of a 
great spiritual crisis, in which they designed, for 
a season to withdraw the special gifts enjoyed by 
the Shakers, and pour them out in mighty floods 
upon the ' ' world' s people. ' ' 

The commencement of the promised new era, 
was to be inaugurated by an extraordinary dis- 
covery of material as well as spiritual wealth. 
Mines of treasures were to be discovered in the 
earth, and floods of spiritual light were to descend 
from the heavens, and both these vast outpourings 
were, it was predicted, to occur in the year 1848, 
and to continue until about 1870, when fresh 
sensuous and supersensuous demonstrations were 
to proclaim the inauguration of another era. The 
record of this spiritual visitation, together with 
the details of the communication was shown to 
Mrs. Emma Hardinge, from whose work this 
account is copied, duly attested by numerous 
witnesses, and bearing date about 1829 or 1830. 
The document stated further that the Shakers, fear- 
ing that their beloved guardian angels purposed to 
withdraw from them altogether, wept in such 
abundance, that their tears fell on the ground like 
rain and bedewed the second floor on which the 
angel's presence shone. The authenticity, to- 
gether with the date of this prophecy, has been 
confirmed by numerous communications from 



THE FOX FAMILY. 143 

other Shaker communities, and in further corrob- 
oration of its truth, we call attention to the fact, 
that the discovery of gold in California, and the 
breaking out of Spiritualism through the "Ro- 
chester Knocking," both occurred in 1847-8. As 
it may be of some interest to the reader, we will 
transcribe, from authentic documents, some ac- 
count of what has been known as Modern Spirit- 
ualism. 

The first well authenticated history that we have 
of the sounds so unaccountable to those who have 
heard them, was in a house occupied by Mr. 
Michael Weekman, in a little village known by 
the name of Hydesville, Wayne County, New 
York. He resided in the house for about eighteen 
months, and left sometime in the year 1847. 
Rapping at his door was often heard, when no one 
visible was near it. Other manifestations occurred, 
but no communication of intelligence was opened. 
It seems to have been reserved for the family of 
Mr. John D. Fox to be the instruments of com- 
municating to the world this most singular man- 
ner of conversing. Mr. and Mrs. Fox were most 
exemplary members of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church, and sustained a character unimpeachable 
for truth and veracity. At the time these occur- 
rences first took place in the family, there were 
living with the parents, three daughters, the 
youngest about twelve years of age. 

There are probably few families in which such 
an occurrence could have taken place, where it 
would have created a greater degree of surprise 



144 HOW DISCOVERED. 

and fear, than in this one. They were entirely 
unacquainted with the history of any similar occur- 
rence in the world, and, brought up in the com- 
mon routine of religious belief, they were entirely 
unprepared for such development of the power of 
spirits to make themselves known by such means 
as were used for that purpose. They heard 
knockings very frequently before the period when 
they first called in their neighbors. Mrs. Fox was 
at first disposed to attribute these sounds to a 
neighboring shoemaker, but the cause was soon 
plainly located in the house, jarring the furniture 
and moving the bed on which the children slept. 
Sometimes the sounds resembled footsteps, and 
the children complained of being touched by some 
invisible hand. 

The family had moved into the house in Decem- 
ber, 1847, and in February following, the noises 
had become so distinct and continuous, that their 
rest was broken night after night, so that they 
were worn out by their efforts to discover the 
cause. At length, the youngest child, Kate, who. 
in her childlike innocence, had become familiar 
with this invisible knocker, until she was more 
amused than alarmed at its presence, merely snap- 
ped her fingers and cried out: "Here, Mr. Split- 
foot, do as I do." The effect was instantaneous, 
the invisible rapper responded by imitating the 
number of her movements. She then made a given 
number of motions with her finger and thumb in 
the air, but without noise, and her astonishment 
and childish delight was redoubled that it could 



QUESTIONS ANSWERED. 145 

see, as well as hear, for a corresponding number 
of knocks were immediately given to her noiseless 
motions. " Only look, mother," she cried, "look, 
it can see, as well as hear." What an announce- 
ment were these few simple words. Can see as well 
as hear should have been a text which all the 
doctors, professors, skeptics and scoffers, who 
have subsequently tried to crush out the sublime 
truth of spiritual intercourse with earth, should 
have studied and learned, ere they entered on 
their rash crusade. Happily for the momentous 
work which the spiritual telegraphers had under- 
taken to initiate in this humble dwelling, the first 
manifestation did not appeal to the high and 
learned of earth, but to the plain, common sense 
of an honest farmer's wife, and suggested that 
whatever could see and hear, and truthfully 
respond to intelligent inquiries, must have in it 
something in common with humanity. And thus 
prompted, she continued her investigations. Ad- 
dressing the viewless rapper, Mrs. Fox then said : 
"Count ten." The raps obeyed. "How old is 
my daughter, Margaret 3" " Then, Kate?' ' Both 
answers were distinctly rapped out. The next 
response was wrong, however. Querying, "How 
many children have I?" The raps responded 
seven. Mrs. Fox only had six living, but became 
surprised, and interested to wish that the invisible 
rapper should be correct, she repeated the ques- 
tion, and was again answered by seven knocks. 
Suddenly, she cried : "How many have I living i" 
Six raps responded. "How many dead?" A 






146 FIRST HOME MANIFESTATIONS. 

single knock, both answers being correct. To 
the next question : ' ' Are yon a man that knocks?' ' 
there was no response. "Are yon a spirit?" 
elicited firm and distinct responsive knocks. To 
the question, whether it would knock, if she called 
in her neighbors ? an answer was given ; where- 
upon, she sent her husband for a Mrs. Redfield, 
who, after questioning the knocker in the same 
manner, and receiving numerous and always cor- 
rect responses, in great agitation proceeded to 
summon others, by whom similar investigations 
were conducted with equal success, far into the 
night. 

Thus commenced, in a humble cottage bedroom, 
in a remote and obscure hamlet, with the judge 
and jurors simple, unsophisticated rustics, the 
witness, an invisible, unknown being, a denizen of 

a world of whose verv existence mankind has 

«/ 

been, to a very great extent, ignorant. These com- 
munications were in conformity to laws mysterious 
and incomprehensible, in modes utterly beyond 
all human control, by any law of physics or meta- 
physics of which the world had knowledge. I 
am better prepared to appreciate the feelings of 
this family, from what occurred in my own. In 
1854-5, before I had paid the least attention to 
what I had considered as the prince of humbugs, 
we had at my house, near Memphis, Tenn., mani- 
festations of a similar character to those above- 
mentioned. Knockings in our bedroom, mostly 
at night, but often in the day time, by some invisi- 
ble agency, of which we knew nothing. Sometimes 






CONTINUES TO SPREAD. 147 

they were as loud as if the door or wall were 
struck with a hammer, while at other times, the 
gentle rap at the door as for admittance. The door- 
bell would often be rung, when we could see that no 
mortal was there to pull the knob. The sound of 
footsteps walking up the stairsteps, when the 
house was securely locked, often occurred. These 
were heard by our visitors by night and day for 
many months. It was before what is known as 
Spiritualism had extended "down south." There 
was some intelligence obtained by the rapping. 
It would knock the age correctly (a rap for a year) 
of any one, when asked to do so, and other things, 
demonstrating a knowledge of events in connec- 
tion with persons and things. 

As the house was continually thronged with 
curious inquirers, and the time, comfort and 
peace of the family, were consumed in these har- 
rassing disturbances, Mrs. Fox, with her two 
daughters, removed to Rochester. But neither 
change of house nor place, nor the separation of 
the family afforded them any relief from the dis- 
turbances that now evidently attached to them- 
selves, rather than to places, as formerly. Al- 
though the Fox family had, for months, sedulous- 
ly striven to banish that power that tormented 
them, praying with all the fervor of true Method- 
ism to be released from it, and enduring fear, loss 
and anxiety in its continuance, the report of its 
persistent manifestation began to spread abroad, 
causing persecution to fall upon them from all 
quarters. The respectable parents wore so severe- 



148 MAGNETIC INFLUENCE, JOYFUL TIDINGS. 

ly censured, and so impertinently lectured by 
their minister, that they were obliged to sever 
their long- cherished, and, hitherto, unblemished 
relations with their church. 

They solicited the advice of their friend, Isaac 
Post, a highly esteemed Quaker citizen of Roches- 
ter, and, at his suggestion, succeeded in commu- 
nicating by raps with the invisible power, through 
the Alphabet. Sentences were spelled out by 
which were learned the astounding facts that, not 
Charles Rosna, the supposed murdered pedlar, but 
hosts of spirits, good and bad, high and low, could, 
under certain conditions not understood and 
impossible for mortals yet to comprehend, com- 
municate with earth; that such communication 
was produced through the forces of spiritual and 
human magnetism in chemical affinity, and that 
the varieties of magnetism in different individuals, 
afforded "medium power" to some and denied it 
to others ; that the magnetic relations necessary 
to produce phenomena; were very subtile, liable to 
disturbance, and singularly susceptible to the 
influence of mental emotions; that the spirits 
chiefly concerned in the inauguration of this tele- 
graphy, were philosophical and scientific minds, 
many of whom had made the study of electricity 
and other imponderables a specialty in the earth- 
life, and, prominent among them, the name of Dr. 
Benjamin Franklin was frequently given. In addi- 
tion to communications purporting thus to explain 
the object and something of the modus operandi 
of the communion, numerous spirit friends of the 



MILLENNIUM. 149 

family, and those who joined in their investiga- 
tions, gladdened thejiearts of their astonished rela- 
tives by direct and unlooked for tests of their 
presence. They came, spelling out their names, 
ages, and various tokens of identity, correctly, 
and proclaiming the joyful tidings that they 
" still lived," " still loved," and, with the tender- 
ness of human affection and the wisdom of a 
higher sphere of existence, watched over and 
guided the beloved ones who had mourned them 
as dead, with all the gracious ministry of guar- 
dian angels. The spirits recommended the assem- 
bling of the friends of the family in harmonious 
meetings, which have since obtained the name of 
" spirit circles," and at these the imparting of ani- 
mal magnetism to some of the parties present was 
suggested as a means of evoking the phenomena 
of clairvoyance. 

At this time, when orderly communion has 
succeeded to doubtful experiment, it must not be 
supposed that any such harmonious results char- 
acterized the initiatory proceedings of the spiritual 
movement in Rochester. Within and without the 
dwellings of the mediums, all was fear, consterna- 
tion, doubt and anxiety. Several persons possess- 
ed of clairvoyant and clairaudient powers had 
been developed as mediums by magnetism. But 
in the meantime, fanatical religionists of different 
sects, had forced themselves into the family gath- 
erings, and the wildest scenes, rant, cant and 
absurdity often answered. Opinions of the most 
astounding nature, were hazarded concerning the 



150 THE CLERGY. 

object of this movement. Some determining that 
it was the millennium, and looking for the speedy- 
reign of a personal Messiah and the equally 
speedy destruction of the wicked. Boisterous 
sounds accompanied the fervent prayers of the 
ranters, and wild confusion, in which invisible ac- 
tors played their weird part, added to the distrac- 
tion of the already tortured mediums. They threw 
books and pamphlets about the house, and blocks 
of wood with sentences written on them for the 
encouragement and instruction of the family, who 
uniformly conducted themselves gently, piously 
and, in fact, admirably, in the midst of the trying 
scenes through which they were passing. 

The clergy were not idle spectators of the tumul- 
tuous wa^je that was sweeping over the city ; on 
the contrary, several of them called on Mrs. Fox, 
with offers to "exorcise the spirits," and when 
they found their attempts were futile, and that 
though the spirits would rap in chorus to the 
amens with which they concluded, they were 
otherwise unmoved by these reverend perform- 
ances ; they generally ended by proclaiming aloud 
that the family were "in league with the evil one," 
or the authors of a vile imposture. Honorable 
exceptions, however, were found to this cowardly 
and unchristian course, and amongst these was 
the Rev. A. H. Jervis, a Methodist minister, of 
Rochester, in whose family remarkable manifes- 
tations occurred, of the same character as in that of 
the Foxes, and of whose appreciation of the beau- 
ty and worth of the communications he received, 



THE RAPPINGS SPREADING. 151 

several of his published letters bear witness. Mr. 
Lyman Granger, Rev. Charles Hammond, Deacon 
Hale, and several other families of wealth and 
influence, both in Rochester and the surrounding 
country, also experienced similar phenomena in 
their households, while the news came from all 
quarters, extending as far as Cincinnati and St. 
Louis, west, and Maine, Massachusetts, Pennsyl- 
vania and New York, east, that the mysterious 
rappings and other phases of what is now called 
"medium power," was spreading from town to 
town and State to State, in fulfillment of an assur- 
ance made in the very first of the communications 
to the Misses Fox, namely, "that the manifesta- 
tions were not to be confined to them, but would 
go all over the world." 



152 



CHAPTER II. 



Important Questions— Personal Investigations — 
Certain Facts — Spiritual Gifts — Science — Ma- 
terialism — Physical Manifestations — Both 
Sides mean same thing in both Worlds — lust 
Reward — Powers Increased — Prayer. 



The questions which I propose to discuss in this 
chapter are these: Are spiritual manifestations 
real, or are they imaginary? Are they good 
or evil, dangerous or harmless, beneficial or use- 
less, frivolous or important % 

These are questions in which every one should 
feel a deep interest. There never has, perhaps, 
been any thing except Christianity, in the world's 
history, that claims so much as these manifesta- 
tions. They are either a most glorious reality, or 
the vilest humbug with which the world has ever 
been cursed. It becomes every candid mind, then, 
to examine them with all the honesty, sincerity 
and truthfulness of which we are capable. Every 
one knows that for the last twenty-five years, this 
subject has been brought before the public mind, 
either as a subject of ridicule or of serious exam- 






THE MANIFESTATIONS VALUABLE. 153 

ination. Near twenty years since, it forced itself, 
unbidden, into my family, much to my annoy- 
ance, as an unwelcome visiter. I knew nothing 
about it, beyond what I had learned from the 
published accounts of it in the north, and rumors 
making the impression upon my mind that it was 
"the most impious buffoonery ever palmed off 
on the credulity of a nation." 

Some months after these manifestations at my 
house, I determined upon a course of investiga- 
tion which not only satisfied me that my hasty 
and insulting opinion must be retracted, but I 
became fully convinced that the manifestations 
are among the most valuable and important indi- 
cations of the principles of God' s moral govern- 
ment, in His dealings with mankind. I am fully 
aware that whatever I may think or write on this 
subject, will be received by many as "idle tales," 
and have but little influence on them. This 
knowledge, however, shall not deter me from 
stating facts, drawing conclusions, and giving 
reasons for the views which I honestly entertain, 
after so many years of patient, honest investiga- . 
tion of the subject. In the course of nature, the 
sands of life, so far as this present state of being 
is concerned, with me will soon be gone. I would 
be recreant to duty and to truth, with my convic- 
tions, were I not to bear my testimony to the things 
of which I have been cognizant, for many years, 
upon this subject. Although not a medium my- 
self, I have been, and am now, favored witli very 
ran 1 and peculiar facilities for a calm and impar- 



154 CERTAINTY OF THE PHENOMENA. 

tial investigation of this subject, first, at home, 
then with eleven other citizens of Memphis, for 
several months, in 1856, then, from St. Louis to 
Boston, New York and Louisiana. 

The conclusion at which I have arrived many 
years since is, that to doubt the reality of these 
manifestations, would be as ridiculous as to doubt 
anything of which the senses are capable of de- 
monstrating. The fact that the spirits of the 
departed do return and communicate with living 
persons, I deem so thoroughly established by a 
host of witnesses, in all ages, that I scarcely think 
it necessary to treat doubts on that subject with 
any great degree of respect. It is, however, an 
interesting and important inquiry, to ascertain 
what purpose is served by these spirit visitations. 
One great object is to demonstrate thereby the 
individual immortality of the soul ; the certainty 
of a future state corresponding to our deserts and 
conduct in this life; God's government of the 
world through the instrumentality of good and 
evil spirits ; His individualizing and incarnating 
Himself in the person of a Savior, through whom 
our prayers are to be addressed ; and the infalli- 
ble efficacy of prayer in calling down assistance 
from heaven to protect us from evil and guide us 
aright. In the twelfth chapter of the First Epistle 
to the Corinthians, St. Paul tells us expressly with 
what spiritual gifts God has endowed his Chnrch 
and People, and Scripture is as applicable to this 
age as the one in which it was written. The 
general opinion is frequently asserted, that when 



SPIRITUAL GIFTS, MATERIALISM. 155 

Christ established his worship, lie withdrew from 
the world the displays of supernatural power ; 
but there is no warrant in the Scripture for such 
belief. On the contrary, he expressly declares 
that those who believe on him shall not only do 
the works which he did, u but greater works than 
these, because I go to my Father." These gifts 
to which the apostle refers, were continued in the 
Christian Church until it became corrupt in the 
third century. If the maintainance of his divine 
religion requires spiritual intervention, there never 
wasatimethatneeded.it more than the present, 
when Pagan reasoning and scoffing Infidelity are 
secretly taking possession of many of our leading 
philosophers and scientific men, in our own coun- 
try, while the most enlightened nations of Europe 
openly avow Materialism, and ridicule anything of 
a spiritual nature. There never has been an age that 
demanded demonstration before belief, so much as 
the present. Rationalism prevails to an increasing 
and alarming extent among the scientific minds of 
the world. These, by their works, arc instilling 
into the minds of the people that which would 
drive every thing of a spiritual nature from their 
minds. Whatever they cannot explain, they 
denounce as imaginary. Their argument, that 
the testimony of the Bible to its own authority, is 
worthless evidence, and this objection can be 
conclusively met by decided demonstration of 
spiritual interposition. These acted out in their 
presence, furnish exactly the kind of testimony 
they require, and overwhelm the reasoning of the 



156 

unbeliever and baffle his stern logic with a trium- 
phant success that no polemics ever yet achieved. 
A very large class of pseudo-philosophers, who 
are guided by no evidence but that of their senses 
and "positive" experience, have formed respect- 
ing the nature of man and his relation to his Crea- 
tor, a very simple and infidel theory, which may 
be briefly stated : That man is a compound being, 
formed of matter and spirit originally created by 
Deity ; that death is the dissolution of this union, 
causing the material part to resolve into its original 
elements, and his immaterial essence to be absorb- 
ed ; that, in fact, there is no separate, independent 
individual immortality of the soul, and that all 
statements or revelations to the contrary are delu- 
sions. Such can most effectually be reached 
through the evidence of their senses, and the 
physical manifestations of spirits are the only 
weapons with which they can overwhelm his 
materialistic convictions. Those who are resolved 
on investigating this subject, usually desire first 
to see such manifestations, though they are but the 
rudimental phase, and performed by a lower order 
of spirits, yet to most minds, at first, are the most 
convincing. They discover that this power is an 
intelligent something, and after patient investiga- 
tion of the various phenomena, are convinced that 
there is that which defies all the laws of mind 
or matter, with which he is acquainted, to under- 
stand. The phenomena may be of the most trivial 
character, and yet their meaning may develop 
a most important principle. The facts may be 



MANIFESTATIONS IN LONDON. 157 

of the most insignificant nature, but true philoso- 
phy may convert them into a lever for accom- 
plishing the grandest results. The apparent outer 
cause may be small, but the inner consequence 
may be transcendant. I have felt no interest in 
these physical manifestations for many years. 
Having seen almost every thing I desired in my 
first investigations, I have not cared to witness 
them since ; yet they have their work to perform, 
especially among that class who will believe 
nothing that can not be demonstrated by their 
senses. 

I frankly confess that Spiritualism has its 
ridiculous and objectionable side, but the same 
accusation may be brought against almost every 
mundane institution. The absurdity of many of 
the manifestations, is the necessary consequences 
of the absurd and unhallowed state of mind of 
those who attend or officiate at those seances. 
The great principle that like will seek its like, is 
true in the spiritual as well as in the natural 
world. 

At a meeting attended by the writer at the Spir- 
itual Institution, in London, in August last, quite 
a number of persons spoke. One of the ministers 
present, said : " We ought to be jealous of Spirit- 
ualism, and retain it as a high and holy thing, and 
try to protect it from coarseness and defilement. 
He thought by proper arrangements in the circle, 
the manifestations might improve and set aside the 
charge of trifling and unpleasantness which was 
sometimes urged against them." 



158 BOTH SIDES, STATUS OF THE SPIRIT. 

Mr. Morse was controlled by his spirit-guide, 
and in the trance, among other things, said : " The 
frivolity to be met with in Spiritualism was some- 
times due to the fact that spirits had to talk folly 
so as to reach the foolish. By improving them- 
selves, men would be prepared for the reception 
of higher teachings." 

My conviction is, that those who investigate 
Spiritualism with a fair and reverential disposi- 
tion, will, in time, have no reason to be disappoint- 
ed with the quality of the results which will reward 
their inquiry and labors. A system that can 
demonstrate the immortality of the soul, and 
which enables mankind to interpret some of the 
most curious psychological riddles of the past, 
has seen its sublime side. Our reason and judg- 
ment must be exercised, and thus discriminate 
in all things. Those persons who raise the objec- 
tion that the spirit-messages are totally unworthy 
the source to which they are attributed, and who 
look for displays of supernatural wisdom from dis- 
embodied souls, expect a great deal too much, and 
subject themselves to the charge of being unrea- 
sonable. As the mind is endowed and cultivated 
here, so will it be in the Spirit- world. The mass 
of mankind have had but little moral or intellec- 
tual cultivation. The change which we call death, 
does not endow them with any faculties which 
they did not possess previously. Those who are 
ignorant, will be ignorant ; ' still," till they learn 
more. The peculiar characteristics and idiosyn- 
cracies of each will be carried with them. Taking 



JUST REWARD HEREAFTER. 159 

this as the great fundamental principle, what must 
be the character of the mass of communications 
received from this source ? The humble and noble 
qualities of the heart seem, in the future state to 
be far more highly valued, than the brilliant 
properties of the intellect, and to be consequently 
more decidedly characteristic of the good spir- 
itual communications. 

The state of the human soul, after the death of 
the body, is that of gradual progress from one 
celestial sphere to another and promotion accord- 
ing to merit. The facilities for increasing in 
knowledge and purity, are no doubt much greater 
than when the spirit was connected with the body, 
which was of the "earth" and "earthy," but 
even there persevering effort is necessary for the 
soul's development. Those who have done their 
duty in this life in consecrating their hearts to 
God, and their lives to the good of their fellow- 
men, are happy in proportion to their capacity to 
enjoy it. The vicious and the undutiful spirit is 
punished, by being kept in a lower sphere, be- 
cause they are fitted for no other. This, in point 
of location (if such a term be admissible in regard 
to the future state), is nearest the earth, and the 
same law by which the good are enabled to com- 
municate with them, enables them, also, to com- 
municate with those who are in affinity with 
them here. The mental profligacy which we 
find in some communications, would be their 
characteristic exponent, and the careless ribald- 
ry of those spiritual writers would furnish us 



160 POWERS OF THE SPIRIT INCREASED. 

with the surest proof of their identity. These 
things taken into consideration, will account for 
much that is received of an objectional character, 
which must be in accordance with the source from 
whence it comes, there as well as here. When the 
body dies, the spirit which occupied it in life 
passes into a new existence, in which, as it was 
here, it is surrounded by conditions adapted to its 
structure as a being which by earthly senses is 
deemed immaterial, because impalpable to them, 
but which is really very refined matter. Into this 
new existence it passes precisely as it left the 
present life, taking with it the mental and moral 
characteristics it had on earth, so far as these are 
adapted to the altered conditions of that new 
existence. The intellect is enlarged only to the 
extent of the increased power of obtaining intelli- 
gence necessarily resulting from exemption from 
the laws of gravitation, and the conditions of time 
and space that limit the powers of the spirit 
while it is in the flesh. This seems to me 
to be reasonable and philosophical as well as 
scriptural, and in perfect accordance with the 
principles of the moral government of the Creator 
of universal existence. The intelligent investigator 
can not fail to observe that spirits frequently 
deliver doctrines and opinions which are palatable 
to those persons who preside at the circle, or in- 
fluence the character of those composing it. It is 
fortunate that mediums are fallible mortals, and 
that spirits mingle error with truth. If they were 
immaculate, we might be disposed, as St. John 



PRAYER, HONEST INTENTIONS. 161 

was, in the Isle of Patmos, to worship the angel 
or prophet who made the revelations. We 
should be quite sure of our facts, before we pledge 
ourselves to any theory. The experience gained 
by a legal training, in sifting evidence according 
to certain technical rules, is a valuable acquisition 
in its way, but it is far from being sufficient to 
guide us in analyzing philosophical evidence, and 
in helping us to solve the grand and mysterious 
problems of life, and God's government of man- 
kind in this and a future state of his being. 

I went into the investigation of the phenomena 
of Spiritualism with a sincere desire to know the 
truth. My first investigations, except what occur- 
red in my own family, were with intelligent, moral 
friends, nearly all of whom were members of the 
different Protestant Churches. Our instructions 
were to always open our meetings with prayer, 
with which we strictly complied. A synopsis of 
our investigation, I have given in " Clock Struck 
One." I here give a simple statement of some of 
the facts, omitting some that will be given in the 
present work. We, after having given our time 
and energy with all the capacity which we possess- 
ed, carefully and candidly, for several months, 
with strict examination, arrived at a conviction of 
its verity. We had no partialities for its theory, 
but it forced conviction of its truth. 

I would advise every circle, before they com- 
mence, to unite in fervent, sincere prayer for Gfod's 
blessing upon them. I do not think we should ever 
engage in anything upon which we can not ask His 



162 PRAYER. 

blessing. We are told by the apostle, to "try the 
spirits," and he has given ns the criterion by 
which we are to jndge them. If honest and sin- 
cere inquirers after truth, will ask of him who has 
promised to give liberally to all who call upon 
him, they would be kept from evil influences. 

The elevating influence of prayer, controlling 
the thoughts and actions of men, is theoretically 
acknowledged by those who are governed by reli- 
gious principle, but practically too feebly ; and 
unfaithfully tried by the efficacy of prayer in 
regulating and benefiting our lives, by bringing 
us nearer to God. I know of no better mode of 
approaching the investigation of this important 
subject than to open their meetings with a reverent 
and dutiful frame of mind with cheerful singing 
and a simple, sincere and child-like supplication 
to the throne of heavenly grace for direction and 
assistance. 



163 



CHAPTER III. 



Bible Testimony— Nothing Taken Back— Na- 
tions Possessed it — Universal Belief— Demand 
of the Age— Skepticism in Europe — Natural 
Means— Prophecy of Joel — Wesley's Testimo- 
ny — No New Revelation. 



As I desire to examine this subject fairly and 
candidly from a Biblical standpoint I take it as 
an established fact, that there is no antecedent 
incredulity in spiritual manifestations. This is a 
proposition which need not be argued with those 
who take the Bible as their rule of faith and prac- 
tice. Such know that spirits' visits are of constant 
occurrence in the Old and New Testament. The 
world has existed, on the lowest computation, for 
about six thousand years, and we know from a 
divine source, that during four thousand years 
spiritual manifestations were constantly experi- 
enced. Will it be said that during the remaining 
two thousand years they have not been so experi- 
enced? Throughout nearly the whole of that 
period, the civilized, and, to some extent, savage 
nations, also, have held precisely opposite opin- 
ions. Vast numbers of persons have been put to 
death for holding intercourse witli the unseen 



164 SPIRITUAL INTERCOURSE PERMANENT. 

world. They have admitted, under torture and 
in prospect of death, that they were in the habit 
of holding intercourse with the spirits of the de- 
parted. 

But the assurance which we possess from the 
Bible, that Egyptians and Canaanites, Chaldeans 
and Philistines, were in possession of the power 
of communicating with the unseen world, I ask 
the question candidly, Is there any instance on 
record, that a faculty has been committed to man, 
which has afterward been withdrawn. The history 
of the race might be ransacked in vain for any 
such an existence. There is absolutely none to be 
found. Darwin may tell us that there was a time 
when the ancestors of our kind climbed trees with 
an agility unknown to their descendants, but there 
is certainly no record of any such things. Kaces 
may decay and may cease to be lawgivers, the ar- 
tists, the orators, the philosophers of humanity, but 
where is the art or science in which whole nations 
were at one time proficient, of which no effort of 
ours would enable us to acquire the merest rudi- 
ments % What are the faculties possessed by any 
ancient race, of which not a germ remains at the 
present day % At what time was this faculty lost ? 
It was possessed by the Canaanites, who were 
driven out of the land of the Israelites. In the 
days of Isaiah, we are informed that the Egyptians 
communed with familiar spirits ; and if the Egyp- 
tians were able to do this, considering the inter- 
course which, even at that time, existed between 
Greece and Egypt, it is probable they were able to 



UNIVERSAL BELIEF. 165 

do the same. The influence their oracles had upon 
them, was doubtless through this instrumentality. 
It has been held by many, that the Greeks and 
other nations of antiquity, besides those mention- 
ed in Scripture, did enjoy this power, and that it 
ceased, generally, at the birth of Christ. 

We find evil spirits possessing people all 
through the ministry of Christ and the apostles. 
Phillip cast them out in large numbers (Acts 8 : 
6, 7). This power was continued in the Christian 
Church until its corruption in the third century, 
under Constantine the Great. Is it possible that 
a belief almost universal in spiritual manifestations, 
should thus be implanted in the human mind, and 
that there should be nothing in nature and facts 
corresponding to it % That there is a natural crav- 
ing in our minds for information as to what is to 
happen to us on the occurrence of death, is 
admitted on all hands. Theologians, as we know, 
have founded on this admitted feeling, one of their 
strongest arguments in favor of a Divine Revela- 
tion. And where this desire for information exists 
on a subject so momentous to ourselves, it will 
evidently be a desire for information as clear and 
complete as possible, for direct knowledge and 
proof by experience, if, by any means, such is to 
be obtained. Now, Spiritualism professes to give 
this kind of knowledge and assurance. We have, 
moreover, the evidence of many millions of per- 
sons, that intercourse with their deceased relatives 
and friends, does confer on them the greatest 
happiness and consolation. This is what might 



166 THIS AGE DEMANDS MOEE EVIDENCE. 

be expected, for their belief completely meets a 
want which is elsewhere only partially satisfied. 

The circumstances of the present age are such, 
that there seems to be a greater necessity for some 
extraordinary spiritual manifestation to save the 
world from Materialism. The literature, the lan- 
guage and habit of every day life among the edu- 
cated, clearly indicate this. Hear what Sir Wal- 
ter Scott says: " Soldier rest, thy warfare o'er, 
sleep the sleep that knows no waking." Byron 
describes the day of death as "The first dark day 
of nothingness." Only a few years before the 
rise of Modern Spiritualism, a nation in many 
respects the foremost in the world, had gone a 
step further, and on the walls of the capital of 
Europe, might be read the words: " Death is an 
eternal sleep." The teachings of the great Ger- 
man philosopher, were fatal to any conception of 
individual immortality. The old beliefs which 
had sustained the Christian world for eighteen 
centuries, were evidently enfeebled, and the at- 
tacks on them had increased in number and in 
power. What is more remarkable these attacks, 
. for the first time, came, in a great measure, from 
within the Church of England. Wherever we 
look, we shall find evidence of the rapid progress 
of infidelity, and the testimony is strongest, not in 
the pages of professed skeptics, but in the utter- 
ances of orthodox watchmen. Never, since the 
first ages of the gospel, was fundamental Christ- 
ian truth denied and denounced so largely and 
with such passionate animosity as at present, in 



EUROPEAN SKEPTICISM. 167 

each of the most civilized nations of Europe. In 
our recent tour, we saw no Sabbath after crossing 
the British channel, until our return to England. 
Humanity, wherever we went, is seen drifting 
in darkness, which wrapt Greece and Rome in a 
pall. What religious belief they have is over- 
whelmingly Romanism. If I am capable of 
forming an opinion by merely passing through 
the country with a number of Protestant minis- 
ters, and free intercourse with others who were 
there as Protestant missionaries, I should unhesi- 
tatingly say that Protestantism is a failure in 
Europe. Who can, in truth, say that this is not 
an occasion for more than they have to impart, 
of new vigor to the decaying belief in the souFs 
immortality, to bring that immortality home to 
our senses as a realized experience— to satisfy the 
wants and console the sufferings of human natuiv. 
Spiritual power is not represented as a power of 
violent rending the veil which separates us from 
the unseen world, but of lifting, by natural means, 
a curtain which every one who believes the Bible, 
must admit to have been lifted, in many instances, 
before. The time and manner of appearance, or 
rather, reappearance of this faculty, merits atten- 
tion in connection with the circumstances of the 
age. The rapid connection by railroads, the com- 
municating with the world by telegraph, appear 
about the same time. If these had been announced 
to an ordinary man in the year L700, it would 
have been regarded as miraculous, yet we know 
they were brought about by natural means, by 



168 THE PROPHECY OF JOEL FULFILLED. 

the employment of latent agencies, which were in 
the world from the beginning. I understand, no 
more is claimed than this by its possessors, for 
the powers which enables us to communicate with 
spirits. The tendency of man is to rank as super- 
natural all strange phenomena of which he has 
not discovered the causes, or laws by which they 
are governed. 

The alleged power of conversing with spirits, 
manifested itself in many different individuals, in 
various places, about the same time. It has been 
generally understood that it originated at Eoches- 
ter, New York, yet I have the authority of a 
Methodist minister of high standing, who had been 
a resident of Nashville, Tennessee, about ten years 
before this time, that, for some years previous to 
the ' 'Rochester Knockings, ' ' similar manifestations 
occurred a few miles north of Nashville, and that 
a number of the citizens went to the place to inves- 
tigate the matter, and he among the number. The 
time had come, I think prophesied of by the 
prophet Joel: "And it shall come to pass after- 
ward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all 
flesh ; and your sons and daughters shall prophe- 
sy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your 
young men shall see visions ; and, also, upon the 
servants and the hand-maids, in those days, will 
I pour out my spirit (Joel 2 : 28, 29). 

Twenty years ago, they were but a handful of 
timid followers, mostly poor and ignorant. Now 
they are numbered by millions, embracing every 
class of mind in all the varied walks of life in 






THE INDIANS, WESLEY' S TESTIMONY. 169 

Europe and America. Seven years ago, a Roman 
Catholic Council, held at Baltimore, estimated the 
number of Spiritualists in the United States at ten 
millions. It is, perhaps, one-third larger at the 
present time. There are, I think, seven spiritual 
periodicals published in London. They number 
many of the nobility, including the royal family. 
It is said that most of the crowned heads of Europe 
are Spiritualists, and that a large proportion of the 
intellectual class among the enlightened nations 
of Europe, are firm believers in the phenomena. 
In every written language, there are periodicals 
published advocating Spiritualism. Verily, these 
things, though they commenced, have not con- 
tinued to be manifested in a corner, but all over 
the civilized, and, to some extent, over the savage 
world. Indeed, the aborigines of America, whom 
I believe to be a part of the ten lost tribes of the 
children of Israel, have, so far as we have been 
able to ascertain, from time immemorial been 
believers in spiritual manifestations. I give one 
extract from Rev. John Wesley' s Journal, written 
more than a hundred years before the advent of 
Modern Spiritualism. Mr. Wesley gives the result 
of an interview he had with the Indians, when he 
came over to Georgia, in July, 1730. He says 
they told him, speaking of the spirits : " We talk 
of them and to them, at home and abroad, in peace 
and in war, before and after we fight, and, indeed, 
whenever and wherever we meet together." 

There is nothing unreasonable that spirits 
should be able to communicate with mortals. 



170 MATTER NECESSARY. 

That they have done so from the first ages of the 
world to the close of the sacred canon, no Bible 
reader, I presume, will question. The last book 
of the New Testament was evidently inspired 
through the instrumentality of one of the old 
prophets. " And I, John, saw these things and 
heard them. And when I had heard and seen, 
I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel 
which showed me these things. Then said he 
unto me, see thou do it not, for I am thy fellow- 
servant, and of thy brethren, the prophets, and of 
them which keep the sayings of this book, worship 
God" (Rev. 22: 8, 9). 

2. That, as a general rule, they must communi- 
cate through material substances. This will be 
found to be the case throughout the Scriptures, 
as well as the modern manfestations. Intercourse 
between spirits in this world, can only be conduct- 
ed in this way. The ideas that are passing through 
my brain at this time, will be conveyed to the 
reader by pen, ink, paper, type. Conversation 
is conducted by means of material substances, the 
larynx, while the deaf and dumb use their fingers 
by which they converse. The spirit uses the 
physical organization of the medium as though it 
were his own. If he speak, the vocal organs may 
be used for that purpose. If he write, he may 
use only the hand, and often the handwriting, but 
more frequently the signature is a fac simile of the 
spirit's hand while on earth. Dr. Jones, in his 
review of "Clock Struck One," admits that the 
"autographs" I gave, are "fac simile" of the 






AUDIBLE CONVERSATION. 171 

parties from whom the communications profess to 
have come. 

There are other phenomena of a more advanced 
kind deserving a notice just here. I mean that 
voices pertaining to no one in the flesh, have been 
heard by thousands, holding rational intercourse 
with mortals. This is occurring daily over Europe 
and America. I have been experiencing this for 
near a score of years, at different places, and un- 
der a variety of circumstances, on both sides of the 
Atlantic. See " Clock Struck Two," pages 84, 
85, 86, 87, 88, 89. There are those (and some 
professed Christians) who ridicule some things 
taught by them. Fruit and flowers are spoken of 
as existing in the Spirit- world. The Bible teaches 
the same. Spiritual wine is also mentioned. Jesus 
said to his disciples, when he administered to 
them the wine at the last supper, "Verily I say 
unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the 
wine, until that day that I drink it new in the 
Kingdom of God" (Mark 14: 25). 

If "spirit hands" provoke mirth, we must 
bear in mind that such things have been seen 
and recorded in olden time. "He pnt forth the 
form of an hand, and took me by a lock of mine 
head" (Ezek. 8: 3). "In the same hour came 
forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote upon the 
plaster of the wall, and the king saw the part of 
the hand that wrote." There are thousands who 
have seen just such hands as this " king saw, " 
and have seen them writing loving messages to 



172 SPIRIT LIGHTS, JOHN KING. 

their friends, when there was no visible form or 
even arm in connection with the hand. 

Spirit lights or fires, moving about the room, are 
common phenomena. I find, frequently, in Scrip- 
ture, the appearance of lights and fires accompany- 
ing spiritual manifestations. Thus, in the above 
cited passage from Ezekiel, " I behold, and lo a 
likeness as the appearance of fire ; from the ap- 
pearance of his loins even downward fire ; and 
from his loins even upward, as the appearance of 
brightness, as the color of amber." When I was 
in London, last August, I saw the spiritual mani- 
festation of "John King," which was an almost 
exact counterpart of what the prophet saw. He 
carried a light with him about "his loins," show- 
ing his form and features very distinctly ; so much 
so, that a correct photograph had been taken of 
him. He stood, or rather seemed to float in the 
air, within four or live feet of me, and talked 
freely to me for some time. This he did with 
others, and all under the strictest test conditions. 
This he is doing constantly, to the astonishment 
of those who never witnessed such phenomena, 
as were quite a number of those present at the 
time I was. He did many things by the request 
of parties present, demonstrating to all that he was 
a real human being who had laid aside the clog 
of mortality. He said he was able to thus show 
himself by a kind of phosphorescent light, which 
he was enabled to produce by the assistance of 
what he got from the medium, Col. Williams, who 
had been tied securely within a few feet of where 



ERROR MUST BE DISCARDED. 173 

I sat, and who continued thus confined during the 
whole time. I know I may subject myself to 
ridicule by making this comparison, but I have 
long since passed that point to care for this man- 
ner of treating such a subject. Truth is what I 
am seeking and what I am endeavoring to teach ; 
if it come in contact with my own previous theo- 
ries, it is mighty and must ultimately prevail over 
all error. One thing is certain, what is truth will 
be eternally true, and the sooner we drop our 
errors the better it will be for us all, for no matter 
how much we may be attached to error, we will 
have, sooner or later, to discard it ; if not in this 
world, surely in the next. In our investigations, 
by twelve citizens of Memphis, in 1855, we were 
told by the spirit, if we would turn down the gas 
so as to darken the room, they would show us 
their forms in light on the wall, which they did. 
Thus it will be seen, that lights are a common 
occurrence in spiritual manifestations, in modern 
as well as ancient times. As I am writing mainly 
for those who believe the Bible, there is an objec- 
tion to these things that I have heard more fre- 
quently from them than any other. It is this : 
That life and immortality have been brought to 
light by Jesus Christ, so that there is no necessity 
for Modern Spiritualism. It must be borne in 
mind, that it does not purport to be a " revela- 
tion," but a republication (by natural means) 
adapted to the present circumstances of mankind, 
of the essential doctrine of the immortality of the 
soul. There is no passage in the New Testament 



174 NO NEW KEVELATION. 

which gives us to understand that no fresh knowl- 
edge in addition to what was possessed in the 
apostolic times, on the subject of the unseen world, 
should ever, by any means, be conferred upon 
mankind, while there are many passages which 
will bear an entirely different sense. 

A pious Spiritualist claims to be in possession 
of the same powers as an early Christian, except 
that of working miracles. St. Paul (1 Cor. 12) 
speaks of the gifts of the spirit, one of which is 
the " discerning of spirits," which is simply nat- 
ural clairvoyance, which is possessed by some 
at the present time. 

The reformation was no new revelation, but the 
republication by natural means (among which the 
art of printing is to be reckoned), of important 
truths which had been long darkened by a cloud 
of superstitious doctrines and usages, that, for 
centuries, scarce a trace of them was to be found 
in the world, save exceptional and fitful gleams. 
So Spiritualism, it may be said, is the recovery, by 
natural means, of certain powers enjoyed by the 
early Christians, which, for some reason or other — 
perhaps by the worldliness and corruption of the 
Christian world — had fallen into decay and disuse, 
but traces of which are most distinctly to be found 
scattered through history, from the days of Jesus 
to our own time. There is nothing in the Bible, 
that I have ever discovered, to render this view 
untenable ; on the contrary, in the method and 
plan of divine teaching as interpreted to us, there 
is much which would render it probable that a 



CHRISTIANITY AND SPIRITUALISM. 175 

clearer knowledge, and additional experience, 
would, in the course of time, be vouchsafed to 
man, a knowledge and experience of the existence 
of spirits (i. e. of immortality), having been once 
communicated to him. This, I think, has been 
the order of the divine proceeding, as revealed to 
us in his word. 

But, says the objector, why was it that Spirit- 
ualism was not known before, as the professed 
advocates claim for it now \ We might ask, why 
was it that Christianity did not make its appear- 
ance for over four thousand years? The reply 
would be, the world was not prepared for it. The 
pacific age was the proper time for its introduc- 
tion into the world. The same answer might be 
made in regard to the modern phase of Spiritual- 
ism. The world was not ready for it, may be an 
answer to the interrogatory. It has come, like 
Ciiristianity, at the proper time, when the church, 
as well as the world, needed something more 
spiritual ; and thus save the world from the mater- 
ializing tendencies of the present age, universally 
acknowledged by those who have kept posted in 
regard to the present condition of the learned 
scientific world. 



176 



CHAPTER IV. 



Man a Trinity — Natural and Spiritual Body- 
Judge Edmonds* and Wesley's Opinions- 
Mart s Intellectual and Moral Dignity. 



Humeri beings, and in some sense, all animate 
nature, consists of three principles : An outer, 
visible body ; an invisible, spiritual body, and 
a directing intelligence or spirit. The spiritual 
body is what is usually called the soul ; it perme- 
ates the physical body, yet is a distinct entity, and 
I believe, and have so expressed it from the pul- 
pit, for many years, that it is capable of a tempo- 
rary separation from the outer body, without 
causing death. It is completely separated at 
death from the natural body, and thence forward 
becomes the sole organ of the immortal spirit. 
This, to my mind, is made perfectly clear by St. 
Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians, when he 
says: " There is" (not that there will be in the 
resurrection),' "a natural body and there is a 
spiritual body." When he was caught up to the 
third heaven, he could not tell which of these 
bodies he occupied. I believe this spiritual body 
is of various degrees of fineness in different 



SPIRITS MATERIALIZE. 177 

persons. It will readily pass through ordinary 
matter, much as magnetism does, and although 
invisible to most people, yet it can be seen by a 
certain portion of persons known as clairvoyants. 
It may be that one person in every thousand is 
born with this faculty of naturally seeing the dis- 
embodied souls of the people. I think this is what 
St. Paul refers to, when speaking of the spirit- 
ual gifts he says: "To another the discerning 
of spirits." Seel Cor. 12: 10. 

There are many, I think, who have not this gift, 
who do often, in the act of going to sleep, or just 
at the time the natural senses are becoming quies- 
cent, have the spiritual vision opened, and they 
see those who are with them. Of this state, I have 
had some experience for near a score of years. 

Disembodied spirits have the power, under 
favorable conditions, of materializing their bodies 
and spiritual clothing, by a temporary use of 
atoms drawn partly from the bodies in the flesh 
and partly from the air, by which means they can 
not only render visible and tangible portions, and 
sometimes the whole of their forms, but, also, 
frequently speak in an audible voice, and move 
objects with considerable power. These I have 
also seen for about the same length of time. The 
magnetic emanations from a circle, also, enable 
spirits, after long and persevering practice, to 
materialize themselves and their clothing, so that 
they can stand before the circle with the apparent 
solidity and physical power which they possessed 
in earth-life, walking about the room, moving 



178 SPIRIT PHOTOGRAPHS. 

objects, talking freely upon various subjects, heard 
and understood distinctly by all, and acting with 
all the life and energy of former days. This, also, 
I have seen and heard often, for many years, in 
America and Europe. Recently, in England, 
spirits have succeeded in clothing themselves with 
matter sufficiently to affect a photographic plate, 
and that most interesting photographs of spirit 
friends are being obtained in great numbers. I 
have seen many of them in different places. I saw 
a photographic album filled with them, in London, 
many of whom were persons occupying the high- 
est positions in society. They would go to Mr. 
Hudson, photographer, ' ' Palmer- Terrace, Hol- 
lo way-road, London," and sit, as is common, for 
a photograph, and on the plate would be the like- 
ness of your guardian, or some spirit friend who 
was near you. This, also, I have seen. 

But to return. St. Paul believed in the trinity 
of man, for he uses this language : "I pray God 
that your whole sold, body and spirit may be 
sanctified." In his animal body, he has attributes 
which he shares with the whole animal creation. 

This is, as he says, "of the earth earthy," and 
must return to the dust as it was ; but that which 
God breathed into him when he became a living 
soul, never dies ; it is not subject to dissolution in 
any sense whatever, but it is capable of eternal 
progressive development. The spiritual or elec- 
trical body, connects the soul with the animal 
body, and which, at death, leaves the body and 
passes into the Spirit- world with the spirit, and 



views. 179 

there constitutes its form and tenement. As the 
three united constitute the mortal man on earth, 
so the spirit and the electrical body together 
constitute the spirit in its existence after the dis- 
solution of its earthly tenement. I quote from 
Judge Edmonds' lecture on What is Death? 
"When we die, the mortal body decays — passes 
back to the dust from which it is said to come. 
But the other two parts of the trinity which I have 
mentioned, the electrical body and the soul, togeth- 
er pass into the other world. The spirit forms its 
body there. At the moment of, or immediately 
after, death, it passes out of the corpse in the 
shape of a pale, smoke-like flame, and hovers 
directly over it, an unformed, unshaped cloud, 
for awhile, but gradually assuming the human 
form. When this process is completed, and the 
electrical body has thus passed from the mortal, 
and is hovering above it, it assumes the precise 
form of the corpse it leaves behind. And here 
you see two persons — the dead body of the person 
lying on the bed, and the electrical body hovering 
over it." 

Judge Edmonds, being a clairvoyant, says : 
;, I beheld, in one instance, the spirit-body form- 
ing directly over the man that lay dead, and when 
thus formed, I was struck with the marvelous 
resemblance to the earthly form of the individual 
who had thus died, represented in this cloudy 
body thus formed. It lay there perfect in form, 
but there was no animation; suddenly it started 
into new life. I understood then what it was; it 



180 OUR REVIEWER. 

was the soul then entering into the spirit-body 
that was its tenement for the other life." 

Once more our reviewer gives a quotation from 
St. Paul : "There is a natural body and there is 
a spiritual body." 

"Mr. Watson considers that the spirit that 
sometimes appears to a mortal, is the spiritual 
body. But St. Paul was describing the form and 
body in which the dead shall come forth at the 
resurrection. These visible forms are exactly like 
those of the persons before death, for by this they 
are recognized. But when the body is raised 
incorruptible a spiritual body, Jt will be different, 
though, doubtless, recognizable." 

I am aware that the reviewer's opinion is the 
one generally taught and believed, but that does 
not demonstrate its truth. St. Paul speaks in the 
present tense. "There is" (now) a natural and 
" a spiritual body." I do not know now, nor do 
I expect to know, in "the intermediate state," 
what may be in regard to the resurrection, but if 
I am capable of knowing any thing, I know that 
there is what seems to be "a spiritual body " in 
harmony with the declaration of the apostle. He, 
I presume, had some kind of a body when he was 
caught up into the third heaven, though he could 
not tell whether he was in the one or the other. 

This eminent apostle certainly did recognize 
that man had a threefold nature, ' ' soul, body and 
spirit." 

As my friend and most of the reviewers are 
Methodists, I copy what the founder of Methodism 






181 

has in his comment on what St. Paul says of man. 
Mr. Wesley says: "Is not the body that portion 
of organized matter which every man receives in 
the womb, with which he is born into the world, 
and which he carries with him to the grave \ At 
present it is connected with flesh and blood ; but 
these are not the body ; they are only the tempo- 
rary clothing of the body, which it wholly puts 
off at the grave." 

kk The soul seems to be the immediate clothing 
of the spirit, the vehicle with which it is connect- 
ed from its first existence, and which is never 
separated from it, either in life or in death. Prob- 
ably it consists of ethereal or electric, the purest 
of all matter. It does not seem to be affected by 
the death of the body, but envelops the separate, 
as it does the embodied spirit ; neither will it un- 
dergo any essential change when it is clothed upon 
with the immortal body at the resurrection" 
(Wesley' s Works, Vol. 6, page 53). 

Mr. Wesley was in advance of his age, in the ex- 
pressing of his views as quoted. What was known 
about electricity in his day i and yet it is the best 
natural agent to convey a correct idea of the spir- 
itual body which I think constitutes the real man. 
When liis natural body dies or becomes resolved 
into its original elements, then this "electric" 
body, as Mr. Wesley calls it, is the outward cover- 
ing, so to speak, of the spirit. This body, like 
electricity, can pass through matter, and though 
not omnipresent, can pass, like it, through space 
with inconceivable velocity, through this and to 



distant worlds. Viewing man in this light, we have 
a more correct idea of the expression in Genesis, 
that he was created "in the image and likeness of 
God." Whilst his body came from the earth, and 
must return to earth again, his deathless spirit 
was breathed into him by the Almighty, and must 
return to the source from whence it emanated. 

There is, then, a moral and an intellectual dig- 
nity attached to man, of which we can have no 
conception, while we have to look at him and his 
destiny, as St. Paul says, "through a glass dark- 
ly." "It doth yet appear what we shall be," he 
says again. There he begins an existence which 
is to continue forever. Eternal progression, up- 
ward and onward, through the ceaseless ages of 
eternity, with enlarged capacity to know, and 
enjoy more as he rises higher in the scale of his 
God-like being, nature and everlasting develop- 
ment of his noble, God-given powers. 

This is one of the most important questions that 
can engage the attention of the honest inquirer 
after truth. ' ' The proper study of mankind, is 
man," said one of earth's wise ones. The knowl- 
edge of what we are to be, when this clog of 
mortality shall have returned to its original ele*- 
ments, and the immortality of his heaven-born 
nature be realized, as it will be, when he enters the 
spiritual world, is of the greatest possible interest 
to him. Let us, then, analyze what the most 
learned of the inspired apostles says in regard to 
it. The spiritual philosopher cheerfully takes the 
testimony of St. Paul on this important subject, 



183 

whose views are in perfect accordance with the 
organization of this masterpiece of creation. 
"There is,'' he says, "a natural body, and there is 
a spiritual body." "There are, also, celestial bodies 
and bodies terrestrial, but the glory of the celestial 
is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another." 

If, then, there is now a " spiritual body," must 
there not be something which that body contains, 
called spirit, It seems clear to my mind that this 
is scriptural and philosophical, and is in harmony 
with the tacts, as demonstrated by countless 
phenomena. Man's external body may be called 
a casing composed of the aggregate refinements of 
the grossest substances, and is, emphatically, as 
St. Paul says, "of the earth earthy." 

There is, then, an intermediate organisation 
which he calls a "spiritual body," composed of 
still liner substances, the ultimation of the coarser 
elements which make up the corporeal organiza- 
tion. Then there is the innermost or spirit nature, 
which God breathed into man when he "became 
a living soul." This part of man's nature may. 
in a qualified sense, be said to be divine It is 
the finest Buperessential portion of man's nature, 
composed of the principles which flow from the 
Deific centre of this glorious universe; taking a 
permanent residence within the spiritual body, 
which they fill and exalt as the elements of the 
spiritual body live within this corporeal organiza- 
tion, which is composed of mineral, vegetable and 
animal atoms and vitalities. 

It is not with the natural body that we have now 



184 COMPOSITION OF MAN'S NATURE. 

to do ; that has performed its work, and returns 
to earth to form part of other organizations ; but it 
is of the spiritual body I wish to speak. It is a 
substance — refined substance ; it is necessarily 
substantial. This spiritual body is a substantial 
fact ; it is no fiction, but a real organization, which 
constitutes the outer covering, so to speak, of our 
personality and individuality in the future state. 
Substance cannot exist without weight, however 
inappreciable, and weight involves force, however 
fine and unimaginable to man's physical touch. 
There are some things in nature which may shed 
some light upon this subject. Electricity is one 
of the most powerful agents known to man, and I 
believe the best type in nature of the spiritual 
body. What, then, is the "conclusion of the 
whole matter V ' It is this, which, to my mind, 
is perfectly rational : If the spiritual body be a 
substance, and if a substance possess weight, it 
follows that such weight must have force to move 
it. The finest substance, with the least weight, 
requires the highest force. This principle is 
plain, and yet it is one which supports the philos- 
ophy of this subject. 

The doctrine taught by St. Paul is, that the 
* ' inner man," as he calls the spirit, is the real man, 
and that while the "outward man perish, the 
inward man is renewed day by day." It is that 
which thinks, reasons, feels ; is capable of know- 
ing andloving its creator, and susceptible of end- 
less development in intellectual and moral power. 
This is the invisible presence of the divine in the 



WHITHER AM I GOING? 185 

visible human form. What moral dignity is thus 
found in this organization, made in the image and 
stamped with the likeness of the Triune Jehovah, 
and destined to develop his God-given powers in 
his service through the ceaseless ages of eternity! 

Another, and most deeply interesting question, 
is, Where will my spiritual body gravitate, where 
will be my spirit home, and what will be my sur- 
roundings ? There can be no doubt in the mind 
of every intelligent person, that those passing 
into the spiritual world, go only to that place for 
which they are fitted. It is in accordance with 
their moral status and their intellectual tastes and 
inclinations, that by an immutable law of our 
being, we find our place in the other life. Place 
there, is a question of morals — that which a per- 
son has been— or is, spiritually, is the divine law 
which will, irrevocably, fix our relations in the 
other life. This is scriptural and in perfect har- 
mony with the soundest principles of philosophy, 
and which every one must acknowledge to be on 
the strictest principles of rectitude. God will 
fully justify his ways to man, and this we can not 
conceive, can be done by any other manner of 
proceeding of impartial justice 

The generally received opinion is that the spirit- 
ual world is located in some distant planet, some- 
where in the universe, and that when death separ- 
ates the outer and the "inner man," the right- 
eous soar away to mansions on high, and the 
wicked sink down to despair. This spiritual 
world "towllichthe good and the bad go," a> 



186 man's nature the same after death. 

Dr. Clark says, "and live in a state of conscious- 
ness," is not far away. Astronomers have not 
peered into it, not because of its remote existence, 
but because their instruments are physical, and 
by them they discover only natural objects in the 
distance, but this world is spiritual, and can only 
be discovered by spiritual eyes ; it is not remote, 
but all around us. This planet rolls in its orbit 
under the observation of the inhabitants of the 
Spirit-land. This is as real a world to spirits, as 
the natural world is to us. It may be, and I am 
of opinion, that this world is but a type of that, 
only on a higher plane. It will be found that 
is more real and substantial to spirit existence, 
than is this, with its Alps and Appenines. The 
doctrine of immortality is in the world' s religious 
faith. If it be true that man is immortal, then it 
must be upon the principle that mankind continue 
the life begun in this world in the other life, with 
the same general arrangement of faculties and dis- 
positions of temperament which give him individ- 
uality, and a marked personal position which are 
the elements that constitute him to be what he is 
when he changes worlds. This world is his primary 
school. Here he commences an existence which 
is to be eternal in its duration. It is primary in 
his intellectual and his spiritual nature. What 
we begin to learn here in the rudimental sphere, 
we will there continue to learn as the ultimate of 
life. This is the germ state, that will be the flower- 
ing and fruit state onward to fruition. This is a 
simple unity — a sublime reality — a glorious eter- 






WORK NATURAL AND NECESSARY. 187 

nal truth, in this view of man's destiny. We shall 
know no more until we learn it there, than we did 
here. We will carry our ignorance and errors 
with us, and drop them off as we learn better. 
Human nature will still be human ; it will, how- 
ever, outgrow its errors either slowly or rapidly, 
as effort is made to learn and improve, upon the 
same general principles there as here ; but that 
there is much error and ignorance there, I can not 
question. From communications received through 
various mediums, I am convinced that there are 
very many who have passed into the spiritual 
world, far more ignorant than many who have no 
personal experience in the spiritual world. There 
is no property in what we call death, to improve 
either our moral or intellectual status. I have 
often heard the other life described as one of cease- 
less praise and continual worship around a great 
white throne. 

That much of our happiness will consist in 
gratitude^ thanksgiving and praise to God. I 
have no doubt, but that this everlasting worship 
will ever constitute our employment, I do not 
believe. It will be in imitation of our Master who 
went about doing good; not walking over the 
vineclad hills and valleys of Judea, fulfilling the 
prediction of the prophet in shedding the light of 
day upon the sightless eyes, unstopping the ears 
of the deaf, and curing all manner of disease ; nor 
will it be as the missionary ploughing the mighty 
deep, to carry the glad news of salvation to 
"earth's remotest nation," or mounting the fiery 






188 WORK NATURAL AND NECESSARY. 

horse and passing through the land with the veloc- 
ity of the wind, but with electric speed, go with 
the rapidity almost inconceivable to mortals "to 
minister to those who shall be heirs of salvation." 
They carry "within them the Kingdom of Heav- 
en," as Jesus said it was even here ; being perfect- 
ly happy in doing the will of their Heavenly 
Father, who uses them to accomplish his pur- 
poses. In thus working, they develop their capa- 
cities there upon the same general principles as in 
this state of being, only with far greater facilities 
for improvement. 

There is a great deal more implied in what our 
Savior says about gaining and losing our life, 
than the casual reader supposes. He who lives 
only for this world and the gratification of his 
natural appetites and passions, thus living for 
himself, he surely loses himself, for he is disqual- 
ified for pure and holy enjoyments or employ- 
ments. The death dealing immoralities of his 
purposes, demoralize his nature and curtail his 
noble powers, paralyze his natural energies, and 
chain him to his idols. These originate and culti- 
vate discordant passions and false appetites. Such 
persons passing into the other life, find their place 
naturally with demons and unclean spirits. Such 
are wholly disqualified for association with the 
pure and good, consequently must find their place 
only with such as are governed by the same un- 
holy passions and propensities. 

Regeneration is a spiritualizing process by 
which our natures are purified. This work must 



SOCIETIES IN SPIRIT LIFE. 189 

be done in the present state of being. If the per- 
son starts from earth with his heart interiorly 
cleansed, he will enter the other world in a corres- 
ponding condition. If he leave the earth with the 
demoniac influences impressed upon him, he will 
necessarily gravitate to his appropriate sphere. 
Thus radical differences in persons cause different 
societies in the next sphere. Different sentiments, 
attractions and social habits, give rise to different 
societies. These exist here, as all know, and that 
they will exist there is what I firmly believe. 
There are those embodying many of the effects of 
immoral motives and degrading purposes, by 
which thev have been actuated and made misera- 
ble in this world ; carrying these with them to the 
other world, they are necessarily made miserable 
there. This is an important and momentous truth, 
growing out of the universal system of causes and 
effects, laws and ultimates, just as logically as to- 
day grew out of yesterday. Each one is to-day, 
in all parts of his being, what the laws, conditions 
and experience of yesterday made him. We live 
now, and thus it will be innumerable ages hence, 
sustaining whatever character we possess. We 
have, all of us, a great individual work to perform 
on earth, before we can ever enter the society of 
the good in the better land. This is the propel 
place to make that preparation of heart and life 
to qualify us to be happy hereafter. 

I believe that the principles to which I have brief- 
ly referred, an^ those which will be found to he 
those which will lix our place in the world to which 



190 

we are all rapidly tending. The moral character we 
have here will most certainly be the standard by 
which we will be tried in the other life. Each person 
in this world, can select his associations after he 
leaves it. It is, therefore, of the utmost importance 
to have every unholy passion sanctified, every im- 
pure motive eradicated, and every power and facul- 
ty brought in sweet subjection to love. No enmity 
must exist in any human bosom toward any human 
being, however much you may have been injured. 
You must forgive as you expect forgiveness. The 
lion and the lamb can only lie down together 
within the purified human spirit., Happy are the 
pure in heart, for they shall enjoy the fruition of 
that glorious Summer-land which lies just on the 
other side of the veil which skirts the present 
mode of this, our infantile, state of existence. 

The Spiritual body is composed of proper sub- 
stances with which to build up the spiritual consti- 
tution. The body of the spirit is a refined sub- 
stance not visible to the natural eye, under ordin- 
ary circumstances. It is, perhaps, the highest 
degree of material refinement ; it is not bone, nerve, 
muscle, blood, nor brain, and yet it may corre- 
spond to, and resemble them all. The physical eye 
may give its best and purest parts to the spiritual 
eye, as the natural sight becomes dim by age, it 
may be transferring its best particles to the spirit- 
ual sight. The physical ear becomes dull of hear- 
ing ; the machine may have become seared and 
loses its power of action. 

The best refinements of the natural body have 



FIGURE OF WHEAT 191 

retreated inwardly, to mould the spiritual body. 
His brain may not be so active, and his friends may 
sympathize with him in the loss of his mind. He 
cannot reason so consecutively because of the fail- 
ure of his memory, and the brain ceases to per- 
form its accustomed work on earth, but all have 
retired within, perfecting the beautiful, spiritual 
body he is to put on when the physical frame is 
dissolved to its original elements. These func- 
tions have not withdrawn through any negligence 
on the part of the organized being, but it is the 
natural process by which his mortal has to put on 
immortality, when his spiritual intellect is born 
into a spiritual world adapted to his capacity for 
everlasting development. We may learn some- 
thing of this to us now mysterious change which 
must pass upon us all, by referring to the figure 
used by St. Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians : 
"It is sown (it may chance to be wheat or some 
other grain) in weakness, it is raised in power." 
Examine the tuft of wheat just before it comes 
above the ground ; it looks very much like 
actual decomposition. The aged man, just ready 
to die, is precisely in this laboratory condition. 
Appeal to his ear, he hears not, and why 1 be- 
cause his spiritual ear is, with noiseless haste, 
getting ready to be born into that world where lie 
will hear the heavenly voices of the angels, and 
the loved ones who are waiting to welcome him to 
their blest abode. His natural eye may not be 
able to discern the weeping friends around his 
dying couch, yet his spiritual eyes behold loving 



192 NOT MOURN FOR THE DEAD. 

relatives around him, waiting to receive him to 
their warm embrace. 

And is this death ; that dreaded monster of 
which we have heard so much; this "king of 
terrors," which has terrified mankind for ages? 
We should not mourn over this external decay. 
It is nature' s process of transferring her sons and 
daughters from one world to another ; it is the 
chrysalis out of which the spiritual body springs 
into endless existence. To those who have been 
true to their Maker, themselves and their fel- 
low-men, it is an event over which we should 
rejoice instead of lament. 

If you are capable of discerning the true relation 
subsisting between the natural and the spiritual 
world, you will be certain of the substantial na- 
ture of your future home. Though there has been 
much vagueness as to the nature and character of 
that which lies beyond the present state of exist- 
ence, yet, I doubt not, that we shall all find it to 
be as substantial to the spirit-body, as the earth is 
to the natural body. The natural world exists, 
and out of this the spiritual world arises. As a 
foundation must be laid upon which to erect a 
dwelling, so it is necessary that a formative body 
should exist before an individualized spirit, and 
that a natural world should precede and elaborate 
a spiritual world. St. Paul says : " That was not 
first which is spiritual, but that which is natural, 
and afterward that which is spiritual." He was a 
profound philosopher, as well as an inspired man 
of God, and the highest recognized authority 



ASTRONOMERS FIXD NO SPIRITUAL WOULD. 193 

among those for whose special benefit I write. 
He taught the antecedency or pre-existence of 
what is substantial or ordinary; that the inferior 
is necessary to the development of the superior ; 
that only thus did the liner nature come into 
existence and embodiment. Hence he says : 
"While we look not at the things that are seen, 
but at the tilings which are not seen, for the things 
which are seen are are temporal, but the things 
which are not seen are eternal." The subtile inti- 
macy which exists between the body and the liv- 
ing soul, is not more perfect or real, than that 
between the natural and the Spirit- world. The 
analogy will be found to be as reliable and accu- 
rate as science. The spiritual world is, in one 
sense, a material world, but it is higher, both in 
its constituents and in the order of its formation. 
Astronomers are enabled to contemplate but one 
circle of suns and their planets, even with the 
best telescopic appliances. The spirit-land, with 
all the natural worlds which science reveals to our 
knowledge, may belong to this immeasurable sys- 
tem, and may be the soul's immortal home. Time 
and space, to a pure spirit, may be annihilated, 
so that communion and fellowship may be enjoy- 
ed by all who are qualified to enter that blest 
abode prepared for them in the heavens. 



194 



CHAPTER V. 



Difficulties — Rational, Moral and Religious. 



That there are difficulties to be encountered in 
connection with this subject, I will not attempt to 
disguise. I have felt them from the commence- 
ment of my investigations to the present. Are 
there not difficulties in almost every thing that has 
ever engaged the attention of mankind ? Have 
not the wisest and best men felt and acknowledged 
them in the "book of books" — in the plan of 
salvation which it teaches through the vicarious 
death and sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ ? 
In the true character and mission of Christ, 
does not the most learned of all the apostles con- 
fess that "great is the mystery of godliness?" 
Are there not difficulties in science which have 
puzzled its devotees to the present time ? It would, 
indeed, be passing strange, if anything claiming 
so much as Spiritualism does, had not to encoun- 
ter difficulties and objections, especially in con- 
tending against the prejudices of a large portion 
of mankind. We should bear in mind that the 
modern phase of the subject is only a little over 
a quarter of a century since its commencement. 
If we compare the rise and progress of Christiani- 



CHRISTIANITY IN ITS EARLY HISTOBY. 195 

ty with Spiritualism, we shall find that there were 
more difficulties and objections in that age to it, 
than many now suppose. Its most violent and 
vindictive opposition arose from those who claim- 
ed to be the peculiar people of God, to whom the 
writings of Moses and the prophets were specially 
committed. The followers of the Nazarene were 
regarded by the religious sects of that age as the 
most contemptible heretics. After three years' 
labor of Christ and " the twelve disciples" who 
accompanied him and the " other seventy," whom 
Christ sent out two together, with power to work 
miracles in confirmation of their doctrine, it is 
estimated that the number of converts were only 
about one hundred and twenty. It is not our 
purpose now, to draw the parallel between the 
obstacles with which the primitive church had to 
contend, and Spiritualism, but to notice the difficul- 
ties and objections to what is generally known as 
Spiritualism. These may be classed as rational, 

MORAL and RELIGIOUS. 

It is believed, and correctly, I think, that when 
man is disencumbered from the clogs and hind ran - 
ances of the flesh, and passes into the Spirit- world, 
especially into the realms of the just, his intellect 
becomes clearer, so any communication he would 
make would, at best, be equal to what he was 
capable of while in his mortal existence. This is 
rational, and, I have no doubt, it is true, if fchey 
have the medium through which to communicate, 
without what they say being influenced by the 
channel through which it is received. There are 



196 MEDIUMS INFLUENCE COMMUNICATIONS. 

some things, the modus operandi of which I am 
not able to understand, and this is one of them : 
That spirits do often assume the names of distin- 
guished men, and thus deceive the medium, and 
those whom they are addressing, I have no doubt; 
and that the characteristics of the medium are to 
some extent stamped upon what comes through 
them, I can not question. 

That there are communications which are far 
above the capacity of the medium, no one can 
doubt who has ever given attention to the subject. 
There is an important question to settle : What is 
the potent agent by which these communications 
are made ? There is, in organized bodies, a some- 
thing answering to our atmosphere, a kind of 
aura, which we carry about with us in the 
present life, and which, I have no doubt, is con- 
tinued in the other life. It may be that every 
planet, like our earth, has its atmosphere — its own 
peculiar characteristic atmosphere. So, also, 
plants, animals and men, have that peculiarity. 
That surrounding men and spirits, should not pro- 
perly be called atmosphere ; that is, atom-sphere or 
sphere of atoms, but simply a sphere, for it is not 
atomatic or material in its constitution, but is a 
spiritual substance, and as such extends indefi- 
nitely into space, or rather has only an indirect 
relation to space. This aura, I think, constitutes 
a very important element in forming the individ- 
uality of ourselves. The silent presence of some 
persons, affect others with an uncomfortable sense 
of repulsion, while in the presence of others, you 



PERSONAL ATMOSPHERE. 197 

feel free and easy and perfectly at home, and real- 
ize a marked and mysterious sense of congeniality. 
"We have all observed the abrupt intrusion of the 
thought of a person altogether out of the line of 
your previous meditations, and soon you would 
see the person, of whom you had been thinking. 
This has, no doubt, given rise to the well known 
proverb, "Speak of the Old Boy, and he will 
make his appearance." There is certainly some 
medium of communication not cognizable to the 
senses. What, then, can it be but the correlated 
spheres of the two persons — not material, but 
spiritual relations, having but little relation to 
space \ 

The primal meaning of spirit, is "breath, wind, 
air. Man considered as an intellectual and moral 
being, is the spirit of the man — the sphere of a 
disembodied man or soul, is the spirit of the man. 
This spirit, as it embodies itself in matter individ- 
ualized, forms a specific soul, spirit or sphere^ 
always of a nature necessarily corresponding ; to 
the peculiar form and condition of the matter in 
which it becomes embodied. Lite, therefore, is not 
the result of organization, but organization is the 
result of life. The spheres of created beings are 
universally correlated, and under proper condi- 
tions, can act and react upon each other. Then bear 
in mind the laws of rapport, which means relation 
or correspondence, and that the action can go no 
further than the correspondence extends. Two 
spirits can communicate with each other, because 
they can bring themselves int<> direct rapport at 



198 IMPERFECT COMMUNICATIONS. 

some one or more points. Thus our spirits are 
always in rapport with the matter composing our 
bodies, and for this reason we are able to move, as 
it does, during natural life, but by what we call 
death that rapport is destroyed. 

If, then, one is in a susceptible condition, a 
spirit can not only get in rapport with your spirit, 
and, through it, with your body, and control its 
motions, but even suspend^ its proper action and 
external consciousness by entrancement. Its ac- 
tion, however, ceases when the rapport ceases, and 
if communications from really intelligent spirits, 
have sometimes been defective as to the quality of 
the intelligence manifested, it is because there 
has been found nothing in the medium which 
could be brought into rapport or correspondence 
with the more elevated ideas of the spirit. The 
spirit, too, in frequent instances, is unable to 
prevent its energizing influences from being divert- 
ed by the reactive power of the medium, into the 
channels of the imperfect types of thought and 
expression that are established in his mind, and it 
is for this simple reason that the communication is 
often tinctured with the peculiarities of the medium, 
and even sometimes is nothing more than a repro- 
duction of the mental state of the latter, perhaps, 
greatly intensified. This, I think, will sufficiently 
explain to the cultivated, unprejudiced mind, 
most, if not all, the discrepancies which appear in 
communications not being what we had a right to 
expect from the known capacity of the person 
from whom the communication emanates. 



ERRORS OF OUR TEACHINGS. 199 

The moral and religious difficulties, I confess, 
I look upon in a much more objectionable light 
than those I have considered. We must, however, 

bear in mind, as a fixed fact, a settled axiom, that 
man forms the character here he carries with him 
into the other life; and that there is nothing 
whatever in the separation of the soul and body, 
that does in the least change the intellectual or 
moral status of man. I think one of the great 
errors of our former teaching has been, that we 
enter upon a state of perfect happiness or misery, 
very soon after the breath leaves the body, and 
that we will then know a great deal more than we 
really will when we enter the spiritual world. 
From all I have been able to learn, during near 
twenty years, in investigation, I am very certain 
that we will have to learn there what is truth, and 
that our errors will have to be corrected as we 
progress in knowledge. I am convinced, also, 
that the religious proclivities we have had here, 
will be those which we shall have there, and that 
the code of morals — the system of ethics, by which 
we have been governed here, will be those upon 
which we will enter the Spirit-world. We must 
bear in mind that a very large proportion of man- 
kind are not moral or religious, as we understand 
those terms. Also, that a large portion of man- 
kind are infidel, as that term is applied to those 
who are not believers in Christianity; and if we 
admit the premises laid down, then we are irresist- 
ibly driven to the conclusion that communica- 
tions received from these classes, must, of necessi- 



200 GOOD, BAD, INDIFFERENT COMMUNICANTS, 

ty be in accordance with the views and opinions 
entertained by those communicating. This, to my 
mind, clearly explains that diversity of opinion 
which all know to have come from spirits. Then 
there is another principle we must bear in mind, 
that of affinity. When a circle or individual 
seeks to have communion with the departed, 
those whose opinions and mental and moral char- 
acteristics are in harmony, are those who will be 
attracted to them — hence the communications, as 
a general rule, partake of the same nature as the 
mediums and those associated with them. If we 
admit the above premises, which I think are indis- 
putable, then we should expect the communica- 
tions to be of every diversity of character. The 
stream will be as the fountain. The fruit must be 
as the tree, and the tree must be judged by the 
fruit it bears. Prove the spirits and try them, is 
what we are directed to do by the beloved disciple. 
Notwithstanding, it has been over twenty-five 
years since these modern manifestations com- 
menced, yet the whole subject is in a chaotic state. 
Its laws have been very little understood, and 
even its essential objects and uses have been very 
much misconceived. From its very nature, its 
real practical fruits, as well as its true philosophy, 
must necessarily be the growth of a considerable 
period of time. It is a fact, that I would not, for 
a moment, attempt to conceal that many spirits and 
Spiritualists have assumed an attitude of at least 
apparent hostility to almost every thing peculiar 
to Christianity. How shall a good Christian per- 



BOTH GOOD AND EVIL SPIRITS OVER THERE. 201 

eon, who has enjoyed the life and power of Chris- 
tianity, affiliate with, and become identified with 

those whose opinions are so different from those 
which he has always cherished, is a difficult ques- 
tion to solve, by many who know the truth of the 
phenomena of Modern Spiritualism. It is one of 
the providential designs of these manifestations, 
to teach mankind that spirits, in general, maintain 
the characters they formed to themselves during 
their earthly life ; that, indeed, they are the ident- 
ical persons they were while dwelling in' the 
flesh, hence, that while there are just, truthful, 
wise, or otherwise, and Christian spirits, there 
are, also, spirits addicted to lying, 'profanity \ 
obscenity, mischief and violence; and spirits who 
deny God and religion just as they did while they 
were in this world. Though I have never come 
in contact with such, I am fully convinced that 
there arc such in both worlds. 

Just as I was writing the above, my wife, who 
was sitting on the opposite side of the table, re- 
ceived a communication of over four pages from 
my family physician, Dr. Gabbert, who died oi 
yellow-fever, in Memphis, seventeen years since, 
which I expect to give, in another place. 1 asked 
him if he was a Christian there. His answer was \ 
u We are all Christian Spiritualists; there is no 
distinction here in this sphere." I then asked 
if there were wicked spirits in that worldl His 
answer was: Wk Yes there are, but they do DOl 
annoy me ; if they did, we would not be BO happy I" 
It is important for mankind to know, that theii 



202 TENDENCY TO DESTROY INFIDELITY. 

earth-life is the place where their character is 
formed, and, as it is here, so will it be there. It 
certainly is a most effective way for them to know 
this fundamental truth, and the actual manifesta- 
tion of it from so many sources, and in so many 
ways as these manifestations teach ; also, the dark, 
as well as the bright, side of the picture. 

I think, if we look beyond the great phenomenal 
and rational teachings, we will see its deeper, 
stronger, and more permanent tendency is not to 
promote infidelity, but utterly to destroy it for- 
ever. This view, I have given more in extenso in 
" Clock Struck One." I have also said I believed 
that the real object of this development has been 
very much misconceived. That one great design 
is to purge the Church of its latent infidelity — to 
renovate the Christian faith, and to bring theology 
and religion up to that high standard which will 
be equal to the wants of the age. 

Who that has paid any attention to the current 
of thought of the present age, can question the 
necessity of something more ''tangible," than 
the world has had of immortality ; yet the expres- 
sion of this opinion in the above work, forms 
to the Church its most objectionable feature. 
Look at the most intelligent nations of Europe, 
and you find them nations of infidels to Christian- 
ity, as we understand it. In passing, recently, 
through those countries, I was convinced that 
there was need of another reformation in the land 
of Luther. German Rationalism prevails among 



UNIVERSAL RELIGION, WANT OF THE AGE. 203 

the intellectual people of Europe to an alarming 
extent. 

The sentiment of the good spirits from whom 
I have received communications, is that these man- 
ifestations will, to a great extent, revolutionize 
and harmonize the world upon those vital ques- 
tions about which there have been such widely 
diverse opinions. The world wants a public reli- 
gion which will tower above all other influences 
whatever, that will predominate over all, and ask 
favors of none ; that will unite mankind in charity 
and brotherly love, and not divide them into 
hostile sects, that will infuse its spirit into, and 
thus give direction, to all social and political 
movements. May it not be that such will be the 
religion that will constitute the long looked for 
millennium ? 

Is it a fact not known to all intelligent persons, 
that, for the last hundred years, the Christian 
Church has been standing mainly on the defensive 
against the assaults of Materialism, and the en- 
croachments of science? Has it not. without ade- 
quate examination, endeavored to pour contempt 
upon some facts in science, or looked with a jealous 
eye upon it? What has been the course pursued by 
many ministers and members of the church in re- 
gard to these manifestations? Instead of a careful 
examination of the facts, they have cried : "Hum- 
bug," "delusion," "hallucination," "supersti- 
tion." But when the phenomena have been such as 
would not be put down by such epithets, then the 
whole thing has been turned over to the Devil. The 



204 MORAL POWER OF THE TRUE CHURCH. 

Primitive Church possessed power "to cast out 
devils," "take up serpents," or "drink any- 
deadly thing without being harmed." Such a 
church should be able to stand on the aggressive 
against its real spiritual foes, more than on the 
mere defensive, and in no case should it ever 
turn its back to a fact in science. Its power will 
be the power of the Holy Spirit, and not the power 
of worldly wealth and fashion. Then, when it 
reasons of righteousness, temperance and judg- 
ment, Felix will tremble, but it will never trem- 
ble before Felix, lest he withdraw his patronage 
from it, as is sometimes the case now. If religious 
teachers will but study these facts, simply as facts, 
in all the different aspects which they have present- 
ed from their first appearance to the present — 
study them in the same spirit in which the chem- 
ist studies affinities, equivalents, compounds — in 
the same spirit in which the astronomer observes 
planets, suns and nebulae — in the same spirit in 
which the microscopist studies monads, blood, discs 
and protoplasm — always hospitable to a new fact — 
always willing to give up an old error for the sake 
of a new truth ; never receiving the mere dicta, either 
of spirits or men as absolute authority, but always 
trusting to the guidance of right reason wherever it 
may lead — if they will but study these later day 
signs, providential warnings and monitions in this 
spirit, I think they will soon find a rational and sci- 
entific ground on which to rest every real Christian 
doctrine, from the incarnation to the "eternal 
weight of glory," which, St. Paul says, God has 



THE FIRST DI8PEN8ATI0K. 205 

prepared for all who love Him. I think, then, the 
church may lead science, rather than be dragged 
along unwillingly in its trail, and then science will 
be forever enrolled in the service of God' s religion, 
and no longer in that of the world's Material- 
ism and infidelity. The glorious doctrine of 
man's immortality will then be taken out of the 
sphere of faith, and made, like other things in 
science, a fixed fact — an ocular demonstration to 
all, as it now is to many, who have sensible de- 
monstration of this glorious truth, that our loved 
ones are very near us ; can, and do love, sympa- 
thize with, and minister to us in many ways ; can 
and do manifest themselves to us under a variety 
of circumstances, giving every proof of their per- 
sonal identity that any rational man should 
demand, and that a knowledge of these glorious 
truths, robs death of its sting, and makes our 
exit from this to the better land — not an event over 
which to mourn, but to rejoice over with joy un- 
speakable. 

The First Dispensation appealed only to the 
affections and the inner sense of the soul, and was 
the most ancient, when God walked and talked 
witli man in the midst of the garden of his own 
interior delights, and when "Enoch walked with 
God, and was not, for God took him." This may 
be regarded as the period of humanity's child- 
hood there was no adequate, rational and direc- 
tive intelligence. Man, in process of time, began 
to mistake every delight as being divine and holy, 
having no proper reasoning faculty to which 



206 SECOND AND THIED DISPENSATIONS. 

appeals might be made for the correction of these 
tendencies, and thns no ground of reformation ; 
the race gradually grew to such a towering height 
of wickedness, that it had to be almost entirely 
destroyed. 

The Second Age or Dispensation, commenc- 
ing with Noah, was distinctly characterized by the 
more special manifestation of God, in outward 
types and shadows, and consecrated places, and 
things, from which as the representative seats of 
the Divine presence, and through inspired men, 
were issued laws to which terrible penalties were 
annexed, as is exemplified by the law issued from 
Mount Sinai; then, the imposing forms of the 
ceremonial law, with bleeding beasts and birds, 
pointing to the great antetype which was to come 
in the Thied Dispensation of the world. This 
was when "God was manifested in the flesh;" 
when he became incarnate in one man, who was 
so constituted as to embody in himself the quali- 
tative totality of Human Nature; that through 
this one man, as the head of the body of which 
other men were the subordinate agents, He might 
become united with the body, so that by the spon- 
taneous movings of the living Christ within, and 
thus in perfect freedom, they might live the Divine 
life in their fleshly nature, previously the source 
of all sinful lusts, but now together with the 
"inner man," wholly regenerated and made new. 
Here, then, is a Trinity of Divine manifestations, 
to the corresponding Triune degrees of the nature 
*>f man — the inner affectional degree; the inter- 



DIVINE DEVELOPMENT. 207 

mediate rational or conscience degree, and the 
external or sensuous degree. 

But while this was all necessary as a ground for 
the perfect union of man with God in the graduat- 
ed triune degrees here mentioned, and thus all 
was necessary for his personal salvation in a 
sphere of being beyond and above the earth, it 
was necessary to perfect his relations to the great. 
mysterious realm which lies beyond his mundane 
existence. It was necessary to project and carry 
into execution, the plan of the true and divine 
structure, order and government of human society. 
which may be appropriately termed "the King- 
dom of Heaven upon earth," wherefore, we have 
now, according to a Divine promise frequently 
repeated in the New Testament, a Fourth Great 
Divine Manifestation, which proves to be a 
manifestation of God in universal science. This 
Fourth Manifestation, or "Second Coming,' ■ 
as we are in the habit of calling it, which was 
promised in the New Testament, was to be attend- 
ed with imposing phenomena, of which we have 
as yet seen but the beginning. It was to be a 
coming of Christ in the clouds of heaven, with 
power and great glory ; the resurrection of the 
dead, and the final judgment, etc., were to occur 
at the same time. 

lam of opinion, that the literal interpretation 
that has been put upon this language, is not the 
correctone. The real heaven is not that boundary 
of vision in upper space which we call the sky. 
but the interior and living reality of things. The 



208 FIEKY ORDEAL TO COME, TIME OF TRIAL. 

" clouds" that are meant, are not those sheets of 
condensed aqueous vapor which float in the 
atmosphere above, but the material coatings which 
have hitherto obscured interior realities, and 
through which the Divine Logas, "the Sun of 
Righteousness," is now breaking with power; 
which moves dead matter without visible hands, 
and with a great glory or light which reveals a 
spiritual world within the natural. The resurrec- 
tion is not the opening the literal graves, and the 
reassembling of the identical flesh, blood and 
bones of the dead men and nations which, during 
thousands of years, have been combining and 
recombining with the universal elements ; but it is 
the re-establishment of the long suspended rela- 
tions of spirits with the earthly sphere of being, 
by which they are enabled freely to manifest them- 
selves again to their friends in the earthly life, and 
often to receive great benefits in return. There is 
yet to see, and, I think, at no distant day, it will be 
seen, as accompanying and growing out of all this, 
the beginning of an ordeal that is to try men's 
souls, institutions, creeds, cliurches and nations, 
as by fire. We are assured by the highest author- 
ity, that the Kingdom of God comes not to outward 
but to inward observation, and that so far as the 
prophetic words which have been spoken on this 
subject : ' ' They are spirit, and they are life. ' ' Hith- 
erto, science has been almost wholly materialistic 
in its tendencies, having nothing to do with spirit- 
ual things, but ignoring and casting doubts upon 
them ; while spiritual matters, on the other hand, 



OUTWARD UNIVERSE INDEX TO INVISIBLE. 

have been regarded by the church wholly as mat- 
ters of faith, with which science has nothing to do. 
But through these modern manifestations, 
God is providentially furnishing to the world 
all the elements of a spiritual science, which, 
when established and recognized, will be the stand- 
point from which all physical science will be 
viewed. It will then be more distinctly known 
that all external and visible forms originate from 
invisible spiritual, and, ultimately, from divine 
causes ; that between cause and effect, there is 
always a necessary and intimate correspondence, 
and hence, that the outward universe is but the 
symbol and sure index of an invisible, and vastly 
more real universe within. From this unitary 
basis of thought,, the different sciences, as now 
correctly understood, may be correlated in har- 
monic order, as one grand science, the known of 
which, by the rule of correspondence, will lead, by 
easy clews, to the unknown. The true structure 
and government of human society will be clearly 
established, and an easy and speedy solution 
given to many questions about which there is 
now a wide difference of opinion. A brighter day 
will be ushered in socially, politically and religi- 
ously, than has ever yet dawned upon the world 
by immortality being demonstrated to the senses, 
and the veil, to a great extent, be rended between 
the natural and the spiritual world. 



210 



CHAPTER VI. 



Mediumistic Purity — Physical Manifestations 
— Mission of Spiritualism — Progression — 
Not Authoritative — Present Life Seed Time — 
Forming Circles — Testimony of Senses — Sci- 
ence — Materialization. 



Every individual who would understand the 
truths of the spiritual world, must be his or her 
own medium. God must write his law upon their 
understanding, and put it in their affections. If 
you want to become mediums for interior commu- 
nications, you must become absolutely true in 
every thought, feeling and affection — become 
absolutely just in all your relations of life, so that 
morning, noon and night, you will be inquiring 
and thirsting after righteousness. Such an indi- 
vidual will not need outward signs to convey truth 
to him. Those disposed to live in the outward 
world in the gratification of their appetites and 
lustful affections, will require representations to 
believe in spiritual communion. He has to be 
addressed as a physical or sensuous being. These 
outward manifestations are designed for the Ma- 
terialist and the religious worldling. They are not 
sufficiently developed to understand spiritual 



THE PUKITV OF .MANKIND THE OBJECT. 211 

truth. These physical manifestations are necessary 
for them. If they were always to tell the truth, 
they would be too dependent upon them. The 
object of this external communication is, to give 
outward evidence to those who need it. Every 
thing has its mission. These outward manifest- 
ations are what most persons desire first to see ; 
they are but the Alpha of the subject. Progres- 
sion is the great law of the natural as well as the 
spiritual world. We see it in the world' s history 
from the creation to the present time. We need 
no more raps than will save humanity from Ma- 
terialism and infidelity, yet need all we can get 
for that purpose. If Spiritualism takes that direc- 
tion, then it will accomplish much good with that 
class of mankind, and will prove a God-send to 
the world ; in whatever sphere the spirit can work, 
let it work. If Spiritualism, in its faith and effects, 
does not tend to make you wiser, better, purer, 
holier men and women, as St. Paul says of the 
Corinthians, it will " profit you nothing." That 
Spiritualism which will not redeem you, will not 
be sufficient to redeem the world. Our faith must 
be shown by its works. Its fruit must be seen in 
the hearts and lives of its professors, by the influ- 
ence it exerts on our lives and characters, in 
making us purer and better, and thus qualifying 
us for the companionship of good spirits in this 
world, and give us a moral fitness for those heaven- 
ly associations which await those who are thus 
prepared, on the other side of the veil which 
separates the natural from the spiritual world. 



212 DISAPPOINTMENT NATURAL. 

There has been a natural curiosity looking for 
gratification beyond the sphere of these develop- 
ments — a curiosity which will never, in all proba- 
bility, be gratified until it ceases to be curiosity. 
We have supposed that communication being 
established between the two worlds, that we would 
be informed in regard to many things there ; that 
their modes of action and manifestation would 
be revealed to us, and we have been curious to 
understand them, not knowing that in our present 
sphere and state of spiritual development, there 
is no natural demand or necessity for such an 
understanding ; but, on the contrary, there is a 
natural impossibility in the way, until our minds 
shall be developed to the sphere of these higher 
truths. 

This disappointment I often realized in my early 
investigations of this subject. I did not then, as 
I do now, see the philosophy of these things being 
withheld. I was regarded as the most exacting 
of any who composed our circle in our investiga- 
tions, in 1856. I demanded more of them than 
any other member. I now see more fully than 
I ever expected to see my error, and find I had 
no cause for the dissatisfaction I often felt, because 
I had not all I desired to obtain from the com- 
munications received. 

These higher forms of manifestation for which 
the mind is becoming fast prepared, and which 
are being now developed all over the civilized 
world, are less gross and palpable and will be 
seen and felt by the world in the divine truths 



COMMUNICATIONS MORE ELEVATING. 213 

which will flow through the individual as the 
instrument of these spiritual intelligences. They 
have assumed more the form of influx ; they utter 
truths in such form ond relations, and in such a 
manner, as to address themselves to the under- 
standings of men, as to cause them to feel and 
know they are divine truths, and all this is done 
in such a way as not to become authoritative. No 
man or instrumentality of communication is to be 
considered as authoritative — no declaration or posi- 
tion is to be considered as true, because a medium 
or a spirit has affirmed it ; that only is to be receiv- 
ed as true which the mind can perceive to be true, or 
consistent with truth. Here is the source of much 
error. Many suppose that spirits know much 
more than they do, when they pass into the other 
life. They carry with them only that which they 
have obtained here ; their ignorance, as well as 
their wisdom ; their falsehood, as well as their 
truthfulness. We are spirits, too, and must ex- 
ercise our own judgment, and submit every thing 
from that source to as correct an analysis as we 
are capable of doing. 

The world is in bondage to authority. The 
mind is chained down in slavish servility to the 
dead past — going backwards towards the future. 
All the light of divine truth it is willing to receive, 
mast be reflected from something in the past. The 
light which is to enlighten the world, the truth 
which is to make us free, is not in the past It 
lies ahead in the way of progression, and the ]xist 
is only useful to enlighten us so far as its feeble 



214 LIGHT NOT IN THE PAST, AUTHORITY. 

Light can strike in the brightness of the present. 
The past can only enlighten us as its truths are 
perceived and appreciated by a rational mind. 
The present mission of spirits is to set man free 
from the blighting influences of authority, which 
enslaves and crushes, but does not enlighten or 
develop. Its victims are seen upon beds of pikes, 
on the funeral-pile, and beneath the Juggernaut ; 
their bones are bleaching around the temple at 
Mecca, and other places. Authority speaks only 
the language of despotism, and coerces the noble 
faculties of the human mind. The world must be 
enlightened, to be free — human authority in both 
worlds must be banished, and let each individual, 
in his own manhood, exercise his own judgment 
in things pertaining to his spiritual and eternal 
interests. Their mission is to restore man to the 
exercise of his rational faculties, in order that his 
mind may become receptive of those higher truths 
which flow in, as soon as it is thus liberated. Their 
mission is to reveal to man his true relations to 
the present and the future life, in order that he 
may understand his duty and his destiny ; to 
show him that he can only pursue his own good, 
when he is pursuing the highest good of the race ; 
to demonstrate to the world that true religion is 
inseparable from humanity ; that he can neither 
worship nor serve God, except as we are just and 
true to our fellow-man. It is not to trust in forms 
and ceremonies as constituting any part of divine 
service, unless there is spiritual inner life and 
vitality in their place. 



SENSUALISM MCST BE ABANDONED. 215 

It is to teach mankind that they must bear in 
themselves the responsibilities of their being-, and 
must forever enjoy or suffer the fruits of their own 
doings — to teach them that this life is preparatory 
for the next, and that whatever man sowetli here 
he must reap hereafter, and that eternal conse- 
quences hang upon the present life. 

The mission of these spiritual manifestations is 
to teach men their responsibilities, and bring them 
into the true relation to the Divine Government ; 
to teach them that their well-being does not 
depend upon God's pleasure or displeasure, but 
upon themselves and their fidelity to truth, justice 
and virtue ; to teach them that their happiness or 
sufferings are interwoven in the framework of the 
universe, and will be brought out according to the 
harmonious or discordant relations they sustain 
to the pure, the just and the true ; that when 
mankind is free from the dominion of intemper- 
ance and lust, and is brought under the mild sway 
of truth and justice, purity and virtue — when this 
end is accomplished -the Kingdom of Eeaven 
will be established upon the earth. 

When it is understood that death to those who 
are thus governed, is but a birth to a higher and 
better life, and that those who have obeyed the 
final summons have but enlarged their sphere, not 
lost it ; then will the pang of" separation cease, and 
we shall Peel lather to rejoice vfith the enfranchised 
spirit, than to mourn over its release from earth. 
The difference between a virtuous and a vicious 
life, is most cl< arly reflected hack from that sphere 



216 PURITY ESSENTIAL TO HAPPINESS. 

and man is taught, in language not to be misun- 
derstood, that this life is the seed time for eternity, 
and whatsoever a man soweth that shall he reap. 
While these manifestations reveal, incidentally, 
many important truths, they teach us to discard 
all authority, even themselves, and to rely upon 
nothing as true, the truth of which we cannot per- 
ceive. They tell us, theoretically and practically, 
that we must guard against deception even from 
the Spirit- world ; that we must constantly exer- 
cise our reasoning faculties, and not surrender 
them to any authority on earth or in the interme- 
diate state. The fact that any sect can get their 
doctrines confirmed, is one of the most interesting 
and useful phenomena connected with these man- 
ifestations. Under the great law of spiritual affin- 
ity, a ready response will be given to those who 
have been attracted to them. This fact should 
check sectarianism on this side the line of the 
future state of being ; there are none in the other 
— only purity of heart and holiness of life will 
give us admittance to the society of the pure and 
good, when we enter the other life. 

The cravings of the human soul are to have 
direct communication with the loved ones depart- 
ed. How can this be effected ? is a question of 
deepest interest to those who have never investi- 
gated this subject. I know some will smile incred- 
ulously at such expectations, while the more 
thoughtful will be glad to know how such a 
desirable consummation may be effected. To such 
I would simply say, that communion with the 



ALL THESE THINGS BY NATURAL LAW 217 

Spirit- world is not an impossibility— a miracle, 
superstitious trick or delusion ; it is a natural law 
of human existence, which has been manifested 
to some extent in all ages of the world. History 
is replete with records of spirit communion, not 
only in the Bible, but the sacred books of all 
peoples. All religions have emanated from this 
source. It does not require that you should be 
of any creed or belief, in order to establish com- 
munion with the Spirit- world ; this depends upon 
temperament or bodily peculiarities of those who 
conduct the inquiry, and not on their knowledge 
or theories of any kind. To insure success, a 
medium is necessary. And what is a medium \ 
says the curious and interested inquirer. I reply, 
a medium is a person so constituted as to give off 
from the body a fine magnetism or invisible pow- 
er, similar to that peculiar to the magnet which 
attracts iron ; this substance, though invisible, is 
the connecting link between mind and matter, the 
force through the agency of which we move our 
bodies, and do the w r ork of life, enabling the 
human spirit, while in the flesh, to control the 
physical body. The bodies of spiritual beings are 
supposed to be constituted of a similar material 
to this invisible fluid, whereby spirits com inn- near 
a medium, arc able to connect themselves with his 
magnetism, and thus exercise their will over 
material objects or human beings. This proi 
was carried on long before Modern Spiritualism 
was known. By this means guardian angels and 
"ministering spirits," have, in all ages, been ena- 



218 FORMING OF SPIRIT CIRCLES. 

bled to approach humanity, and impress their 
minds with that which was necessary for their 
welfare and enlightenment. Through this faculty, 
inventors and men of genius have been able to give 
more light to the world, and hence we see that 
Spiritualism, besides showing men how to com- 
municate with the Spirit- world, is a most import- 
ant element in the science of mind. 

We can now understand how the spirit, which 
is invisible, may be able to influence man and 
visible objects. The spirit circle is formed by a 
few persons around a table, placing the palms of 
their hands lightly upon it ; if a person having 
the natural qualifications of a medium is present, 
and if the temperaments of the other persons are 
congenial, the magnetic power of the whole com- 
pany will gather over the table. The first demon- 
strations usually, I believe, are rappings very 
much like the telegraph machine ticks. These 
signals can easily be understood, and intelligent 
communications be opened between the parties 
and the spirits. I have but little experience, how- 
ever, in this kind of communication. When we 
met in this city, some eighteen years since, to 
investigate this subject, our organization was 
effected in this way the first evening ; after that, 
our medium was controlled to write automatically, 
answering questions written, oral or mental, that 
were proposed, in rotation, around the table. Nor 
did we ever have to wait after prayers, at the 
opening of the meeting, promptly at the time for 
the controlling influence. The medium did not 



COMMENCEMENT OF WRITING. 219 

know what she was writing, nor could she fre- 
quently read what she had written. 

I have never been a member of any other circle, 
nor have I been present but very little, when com- 
munications were made by this tardy process. 
My experience has been by the more direct way 
of communicating by writing. When persons sit 
at a table, and one or more of them find their 
hands moved by an influence over which they 
have no control, it is to indicate that the spirits 
wish to write through them ; if such a person will 
take a pencil in the hand thus moved, he will be 
caused to write without any control or thought 
on his part. The control will not be perfect, per- 
haps, for some time ; it may cause the hand to 
move in a variety of ways, but often in a few 
minutes complete control is effected, so that 
without any agency, only a kind of passivity to 
the controlling influence. In this way informa- 
tion is given which was not in the minds of any 
one present, and the autographs of strangers who 
had died years before, have been written. 

Other mediums are put in a sleeping state, call- 
ed the trance, by the spirits, just as the Mesmer- 
izer operates on his subjects, only the spirit Mes- 
merizer is not visible, in this state the medium 
is made to say anything which the spirits desire, 
even to deliver lectures and sermons. This T have 
often seen and heard. This was one of the first 
phases of the Bubject that I ever examined. The 
medium was a colored servant girl, whom they 
would thus entrance, and make her do some vexy 



220 MEDIUM IN EVEEY FAMILY. 

remarkable things, which she was utterly incapable 
of performing in her normal state. I knew nothing 
of Spiritualism then, only to regard it as the vilest 
of humbugs. She would see and describe the 
invisibles ; tell whom they said they were, and we 
could thus, through her, hold converse with 
them. This clairvoyant phase of the subject is 
one of the most interesting, for you can hold, as 
it were, direct conversation, through the medium, 
with your friends. Another phase is, they take 
possession of the physical organs of the medium 
and use them as their own. In this you see and 
hear the peculiarities of the earth-life of the spirit, 
giving many strong demonstrations of personal 
identity. My experience has been by far the most 
interesting and satisfactory in my own family. It 
is the opinion of some, that there is a medium 
in almost every family. If spirit circles were 
formed generally by one family uniting with an- 
other, the whole population might be put in com- 
munication with the Spirit- world, and derive 
enlightenment and comfort from its inhabitants, 
who have advanced beyond the mortal stage of 
short-sightedness. Investigators must, however, 
bear in mind that spirits are but human beings, 
like themselves ; some of them know no more than 
those in the flesh, and it may be less. The ignor- 
ant have power to communicate, as well as the 
more intelligent and exalted. The best means of 
getting into communion with enlightened and good 
spirits, is to have elevated and disinterested mo- 
tives ; seeking the truth for its own sake, and not 



LIKE WILL SEEK ITS LIKE. 221 

for the gratification of any personal conceit or 
selfish purpose. Do not be credulous, and be- 
lieve you are in communication with saints, 
heroes or men of genius, merely because their 
names may be assumed by some spirit. Demand 
tests of identity from every spirit, and if your 
motives are good and your purposes pure, you will 
soon be attended by spirit guides, or co- workers 
in the upper world, who will protect you from ad- 
vances that would deceive you. An evil spirit will 
not come to a circle of good people any sooner than 
a wicked man would go to a " class meeting. ' ' The 
great principle of affinity controls mankind in both 
worlds, and regulates our associations there as 
well as here. 

There is still another type of phenomena which 
has been attracting considerable attention for 
two or three years. It is the process by which 
spirits are enabled to materialize themselves, so as 
to become visible to mortal eyes. This was don<> 
first or mainly at Moravia, in the State of New 
York, but now is being done in various places in 
America and Europe. The process by which it is 
done, I do not understand, and it may be known 
only to the invisible chemists ; but that they can 
so tar clothe themselves with matter as to be seen 
and recognized as in the natural life is unques- 
tionably tru<>. I have had and seen communica- 
tions from them, in which tiny promise that, at 
no distant day, they will be able to do this all 
over the country. The accounts received from 
wherever Spiritualism has been investigated, the 



222 MATERIALIZING PROCESS. 

immortals are steadily working out their purpose 
wherever they can get that assistance from mortal 
organization, which is necessary to accomplish it. 

It. has not been my privilege to witness this kind 
of manifestation in the day time, but once in this 
city ; this was through Mrs. Hollis, of Louisville, 
as the medium. There were six of us present ; 
some fifteen faces were seen very distinctly ; sev- 
eral of them were recognized as the relatives of 
the parties present. The first appearance resem- 
bles a white cloud, which in a few seconds scatters, 
and in its place the form and features clearly 
marked and as distinctly seen as in mortal life. 
My present wife's father, and my former wife 
appeared several times, looking about as natural 
as they did when living here. They were not able 
to speak, but would, when requested, turn so as 
to be seen in different positions. Since Mrs. Hol- 
lis was here, she has been developed so that they 
converse audibly with their friends, as I learn 
from a work recently published by Dr. K". B. 
Wolfe, of Cincinnati, Ohio, entitled, " Startling 
Facts," an intensely interesting book. Mrs. 
Hollis is now in London, where the most celebrat- 
ed scientists are investigating the subject through 
her mediumship, at the house of Mr. William 
Crookes, Editor of the Quarterly Journal of Sci- 
ence. The world will likely hear the result of 
these investigations. 

Let us examine this kind of manifestation a 
little more carefully ; let us endeavor to ascertain 
what reliance we may reasonably place upon the 



TESTIMONY OF THE SENSE-. 223 

intelligence conveyed to us by our senses. May 
we put any trust in them? May we trust them 
implicitly; what is the value of their evidences? 
May science wisely reject their testimony when 
seeming opposed to its own theories ? Is science 
bound to accept a sense as its witness? These are 
simple questions, yet involving important princi- 
ples in search of truth. I know the senses of any 
one man may be deceived as to the existence of 
external objects. It may be only a mental image, 
or a false impression upon the sense, or an im- 
pression wrongly conveyed by the sense to the 
mind. But if two persons receive a like impres- 
sion of the same object as existing without them, 
at the same time and in the same place, the proba- 
bility that such an object existed becomes as 
cogent, as is the improbability that two persons 
should have precisely the same defect in brain, 
nerve, or sense, showing itself in the same manner 
at the same moment. This improbability is multi- 
plied greatly, if three persons have the same per- 
ception simultaneously ; and so the value of the 
evidence increases in geometrical ratio with every 
added witness. 

Thus, if four or six persons have seen the like, 
under like conditions, without anything that could 
be deemed mutual suggestions, tin 1 evidence 
would be conclusive of the fact so far, at least, aa 
human testimony can be accepted. Apply these 
principles, acknowledged to be correct even by 
science, to what we saw on the occasion to which 
I have referred, and the testimony meets the de- 



224 SENSES AGREEING AS TO FACTS. 

mauds of science. Then add to this, the testimony 
of thousands all over the land, who have seen and 
conversed with their friends under a variety of 
circumstances, the evidence becomes overwhelm- 
ing that such phenomena do occur. 

The senses, though very untrustworthy individ- 
ually to one person, are the most trustworthy, 
indeed, the only reliable witnesses collectively. 
And not only are they reliable when we have the 
accumulated testimony of the senses of many per- 
sons, but they have much value in giving verity 
to each other. One sense may be brought in to 
aid others, so that upon the information of two or 
more of the senses amount to demonstration. The 
eye may deceive as to the existence of some form 
seen in the sunlight, but if the hand comes to aid 
the eye, and a form is felt as well as seen, the 
proof of the presence of a form is greatly increas- 
ed . And if to this we add the testimony of the 
ear, that it heard the form speak, while the eye 
had seen and the hand felt it, the proof becomes 
very powerful ; it is overwhelming, if two or three 
persons have experienced the same impressions, 
at the same time. All of these requirements have 
been fully met on these and other occasions where 
I have been one of the witnesses. In addition to 
these, they would give facts which were known to 
no one present, and not ascertained for sometime 
afterwards ; this, too, in an audible voice, so that 
of. the eighteen or twenty persons present, all 
could hear what was said. One gave several tests 
of his earth-life, some of them occurring far away 



BISHOP OTEY SPEAKS AUDIBLY. 225 

while traveling. Another told where she lived in 
Memphis, and what she had in her parlor ; among 
other things, a life-size portrait of her father, call- 
ing his name, none of which was known by any 
of the party present. 

Bishop Otey spoke distinctly thus to me : "Mr. 
Watson, you have done right ; you should not 
have remained where you were not at liberty to 
express your sentiments freely ; every pulpit in 
the land will proclaim this truth, and every house- 
hold will enjoy the blessed privilege of communing 
with loved ones ; you will live to preach this glori- 
ous truth to the people." I have simply referred 
to a part of what was said to me on two occasions 
by the invisibles. Others held conversations at 
considerable length, on various subjects, with a 
number of friends, some of them giving tests refer- 
ring to their early life, known only to the party 
with whom they were conversing in their youthful 
days. I could write pages more of the things 
which occurred at these two meetings, but have 
said enough to give the reader some general idea of 
this, as I conceive, the highest and most interest- 
ing phase of this subject. One of old asked: "Can 
any good thing come out of Nazareth?" and the 
answer was ; "Come and see." 



226 



CHAPTER VII. 



Sacrifices to be made — Desire to know — Bishops 
DoggeWs and McTyeire" s Sermons — Wesley's 
Views of the Intermediate State. 



That there are sacrifices which have to be made 
by those who have moral courage sufficient to 
aver a belief in these things, is unquestionable. 
There are social penalties that many have to pay 
for a profession of this faith. There must, there- 
fore, be some very strong cause to induce persons 
of standing and established reputation openly to 
profess a belief of this kind. The penalty is loss 
of confidence, and being reputed of an unsound 
mind by some who have not the honesty to inves- 
tigate, or the manliness to argue the question. I 
have had some experience with this class of per- 
sons ; in one instance, a most intimate friend by 
whose appointment I had filled the most import- 
ant offices in the church which he had the power 
to confer ; it was done in a very pleasant and jocu- 
lar manner, so that not the slightest offense could 
be taken. I simply replied that it was a question 
about which one was incapable of judging their 
own sanity, and if it were so, then I was entitled 
to his and others' sympathy. Dr. Thomas E. 



DESIRE TO KNOW OF THIEK FUTURE ABODE. 227 

Bond declared Bishop Otey insane, because of his 
belief in Spiritualism. See introduction to "Clock 
Struck One." 

They have both passed over where no defect of 
mental organization is known, and from what I 
have heard from the Doctor, he has changed his 
opinion of the Bishop. 

Notwithstanding the odium that some people 
would attach to this subject, such is the hunger- 
ing, the longing, the craving of the human soul 
for the region of future immortality, its home- 
sickness for its future abode, its perishing anguish 
of desire for the beloved ones who have been torn 
away from them, that professed messages from 
that state, are met with a trembling agony of eager- 
ness. This is natural. To all human appearance, 
death seems to be a final separation of those who 
" have lived and loved together ;" and many there 
are who have no hope of a reunion of those ties 
which have thus been so ruthlessly severed. 
When they are assured that they still live, and 
that they can demonstrate the fact to them in a 
manner which admits of no doubt, then it is per- 
fectly consistent that there should be the most 
intense interest manifested to see if these things 
are true. 

The cold scientists who, without pity and with- 
out sympathy, have supposed that they eould 
have had under their dissecting knives the very 
phenomena which have deluded their fellows, are 
most certainly mistaken. They have not seen 
them in the cold mood of science ; they never can 



228 LARGE CLASS BELIEVE SECRETLY. 

be seen in that way. The experiences that have 
most weight with multitudes who believe more 
than they dare utter, are secrets deep as the grave 
— they cannot bring their voices to utter them, 
except in some hour in utmost confidence, and to 
some friend of tried sympathy. They know what 
they have seen and what they have heard ; they 
know the examinations they have made, and they 
know the inexplicable results, but, like Mary of 
old, they keep all these sayings, and ponder them 
in their hearts ; they have no sympathy with 
the vulgar, noisy, outward phenomena of tipping 
and rappings, and signs and wonders, which 
attract so much attention from a certain class of 
mankind ; they have no sympathy with the vul- 
gar and profane attacks on the Bible, which form 
part of the utterances of modern seers and itiner- 
ant lecturers; they can never forget, though 
they cannot explain, things which, in sacred soli- 
tude or under circumstances of careful observa- 
tion, have come under their own notice ; they 
shrink from conversation about these things to 
those who can not appreciate them ; they are 
waiting for " more light." I have had many of 
this class to tell me of things which have occurred 
in their own history, that they said they would 
not breathe to others, because they would, per- 
haps, ridicule them for what they would call their 
superstition. 

It has been my privilege to know the secret 
history of many who are not outwardly or profess- 
edly Spiritualists, in the common accepjion oi 



HEART OPENINGS. 229 

that term — persons of sober, serious habits of 
thought, of great self- culture and self-restraint, to 
whom it happened, after the death of loved ones, 
to meet, accidentally and without any seeking or 
expecting on their part, of spiritual phenomena 
of a very marked type. These are histories that 
never will be unveiled to the judgment of a scoff- 
ing and unsympathetic world ; that, in the very 
nature of the case, must ever remain a secret ; yet 
they have brought to hearts bereaved and mourn- 
ing, that very consolation which the Christian 
Church ought to have afforded them, and which 
the Primitive Church so amply provided. They 
will say: "I do not seek such things. I do not 
search out mediums, nor attend spiritual circles. 
I have attained what I desired to know above 
every other thing, that my friends live, and that I 
shall live after death, or rather there is no death 
in the common acceptation of that term. I am 
perfectly certain that my friends are not dead, but 
alive in a region of joy and blessedness, expecting 
to meet them when the death change comes over 
me; and that they now are often near me, and 
minister to me." Such, in substance, is the lan- 
guage of many who have wept bitter tears of grief, 
when they have had the strongest cords which 
have bound them to earth clipt asunder ; they feel 
in their inmost souls the truth of what St. Paul ex- 
presses in his Epistle to the Hebrews, comparing 
the Mosaic with the Christian Dispensation. 
Heb. 12: 2:2, 2:*. "But ye are come onto Mount 
Zion, and unto the City of the Living God, the 



230 COMMUNION OF SPIRITS AND ANGELS. 

Heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable com- 
pany of angels. To the general assembly and 
church of the firstborn which are written in Heav- 
en, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits 
of the just men made perfect." 

The belief of the Primitive Church was, that the 
angels were present witnessing and uniting in the 
eucharistic memorial — a belief of which we still 
have the expression in that solemn portion of the 
Church of England, Episcopal and Methodist 
Churches, which says : "Wherefore, with angels 
and archangels, and with all the company of 
heaven, we laud and magnify thy holy name." 
This part of the eucharistic service was held by 
the first Christians to be the sacred and mysterious 
point of confluence, when the souls of saints on 
earth and the blessed in heaven are united ; so 
says the Saint Chrysostom. The Seraphim above 
sing the holy hymn ; the holy congregation of 
men on earth send up the same; the general 
assembly of celestial and earthly creatures join 
together ; there is one thanksgiving, one exulta- 
tion, one choir of men and angels rejoicing to- 
gether." In perfect harmony with this, I make 
an extract from a sermon by Bishop D. S. Doggett, 
of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. See 
" Union Pulpit," page 446, published by W. T. 
Smithson, Washington, H. C, 1860: 

" Let us realize the true grandeur of our com- 
mission. Let its sublime object animate our souls. 
We labor, not only for the salvation of men ; we 
labor, also, for the edification of angels. We labor 



EXTRACT FROM BISHOP DOGGETT's SERMON. 231 

not only in the sight of mortals ; we labor, also, 
in the sight of celestial beings. We preach to two 
congregations at the same moment ; one below, 
the other above us. What are the most splendid 
auditories ever convened on earth compared with 
'the principalities and powers in heavenly 
places,' who came down to engage in the solem- 
nities of our worship. Methinks they are present 
with us now. Poised upon celestial pinions, they 
shed over us the odors of Paradise ; I seem to 
hear the rustling of their plumes ; the air about 
us is full of fragrance. Their benevolent coun- 
tenances beam with delight, and their eyes 
sparkling with supernatural intelligence, are 
watching to catch, before we disperse, another 
proof of the manifold wisdom of God. To use the 
impassioned strain of a familiar hymn : 

u 'Angels now are hovering round us, 
Unperceived they mix the throng, 
Wondering at the love that crowned us, 
Glad to join the holy song.' " 
I quote from the sermon of another Methodist 
Bishop, H. N. McTyeire, D. D. See Methodist 
Pulpit South, page 373 : 

"For six thousand years men have been dying. 
What of the souls of the departed 1 What of all 
who have died, and who shall die between this 
day and the last? No vain or irreverent curiosity 
inquires here ; a state so near, so certain, concerns 
us all. The sonl would explore, before entering 
' the land of darkness as of darkness itself. 1 We 
look, we can not help looking, in that direction, 



232 EXTRACT — BISHOP MCTYEIRE' S SERMON. 

That long interval between death and the resurrec- 
tion, how is it spent, and where ? * * 

"Patriarchs, prophets, apostles, martyrs, have 
gone before ; we shall overtake them ; others, us, 
and the communion of saints be enjoyed in being 
perfected together. There are advantages in an 
advance position. To have ' the ends of the world 
come upon us,' is not without its advantages. 
Oar times are in God's hand. He has distributed 
and disposed of us well. Let us be thankful for 
the times we live in. The redeemed in Jesus 
Christ are one family ; they bear one family name, 
and are bound up in one covenant and fate, from 
righteous Abel to the last praying, trusting, self- 
renouncing Christian who shall die in the Lord. 
" 'One family, we dwell in him, 
One church above, beneath, 
There now divided by the stream, 
The narrow stream of death.' 
" Chrysostom has remarked on the text : ' Still 
they had not received it ; still they waited for it, 
even after they ended their life in such tribulation.' 
So much time had passed after their victory, and 
still they had not received it. And should we sigh 
because we stand yet in the conflict ? Remember 
what is said, that Abraham and the Apostle Paul 
sit and wait until thou art made perfect. 1 ' 

This Scripture doctrine is, I think, in harmony 
with the teaching of good spirits, that they are look- 
ing forward and expecting that which lies in the 
future, as their capacity is enlarged to know and 
enjoy more of that which constitutes the happi- 



-INTERMEDIATE STATE. 233 

ness of this Paradisical state upon which they 
entered when they left the present mode of 
existence. 

" Of the state of the dead ; the three opinions 
most seriously entertained are : 

"1. An unconscious state. * * * 

" 2. Souls go immediately to heaven or hell. 

" This view has many difficulties. For the present 
hear Mr. Wesley : ' It is very generally supposed 
that the souls of good men, as soon as they are 
discharged from the body, go directly to heaven, 
but this opinion has not the least foundation in 
the oracles of God. Paradise is not heaven. It 
is, indeed (if we may be allowed the expression), 
the ante-chamber (elsewhere, the porch of heaven), 
where the souls of the righteous remain till after 
the general judgment, when they are received into 
glory.' 

u 3. A conscious interval, which all shall pass 
through, except those found on the earth at the 
second coming of Christ. 

"There is a place for our bodies ; so, also, there 
is a receptacle for our souls during their separa- 
tion. The Spirit-world receives all who depart ; 
good and bad, small and great, old and young. 
The Hebrew original of the Old Testament, calls 
it ' sheol,' which tli<> Greek translation of the 
Septuagint, renders hades. The Greek original 
ofthc New Testament calls it hades, which the 
Latin Vulgate renders infernus. The English 
translation o\' thr Old Testament and of the New, 
sometimes renders it hell, sometimes grave. Here 



234 SHEOL, HADES, PLACES OF THE DEPARTED. 

in ' sheolj 'hades J the souls of all who die 
are received without respect to their goodness or 
badness, their happiness or misery. It is a tem- 
porary abode. * * * * * * 

" Hades is not only frequently used by the Sev- 
enty, but it is common among classical authors, and 
in the judgment of the above critic quoted, and 
others, it ought never, in Scripture, be rendered 
hell, at least in the sense wherein this word is now 
universally understood among Christians. In 
translating the Hebrew word sheol, the Seventy 
almost invariably used hades, both meaning the 
state of the dead in general ; the invisible, the 
hidden, the veiled land." * * * * 
So much for the literal meaning of hades, which, 
as has been shown, implies properly neither hell 
nor the grave, but the place or state of departed 
souls. Created spirits are not omnipresent, but 
bounded by space, and may even take form, per- 
haps, human, or fairer than human, though invisi- 
ble to mortal eyes ; place, habitation may, there- 
fore, be assigned them." 

I have given these extracts from these sermons 
for the purpose of showing the similarity of its 
teachings, and what I have but received from good 
spirits. It has been to me strange that Methodists 
will teach that the souls of the departed go direct- 
ly to heaven or hell, when their founder, as quoted 
by Bishop McTyeire, says: "this opinion has 

NOT THE LEAST FOUNDATION IN THE OEACLES OP 

God;" and the first sentence of the Bishop's 



TRUE PRINCIPLE OF ADMITTANCE. 235 

sermon reads: "No one has yet been saved in 
heaven ; no one sent to hell." 

I can not believe that the purest and best per- 
sons are prepared to enter heaven directly from 
earth. All have errors which must be corrected. 
Imperfection attaches to mortality, but when we 
leave its clogs behind, and go to the Spirit-world, 
then, I think, we will find that we have just begun 
to view things in their true light. There, I am of 
opinion, we will find the true standard by which 
we shall be judged, to be somewhat different from 
what we have been taught. Purity of heart and 
holiness of life will be that which alone will give 
us admittance to the society of the pure and good 
of all ages. Creeds and Catechisms, Churches 
and Sectarianism will forever be annihilated, 
while love to God and our fellow-men, will give 
to all the passport to the portals of everlasting 
happiness. Those who have done most for their 
fellow-men on earth, will have capacity to enjoy 
more of the blissful occupation of the Paradise of 
God, which will be to continue " ministering for 
those wo shall be heirs of salvation." 



236 



CHAPTER VIII. 



Spiritualism from a Scientific Standpoint — Re- 
port of the Committee to the London Dialectical 
Society. 



At a meeting of the " London Dialectical Socie- 
ty," held on the sixth of January, 1869, it was 
resolved, " That the council be requested to ap- 
point a committee in conformity with the by-law, 
seven to investigate the phenomena alleged to be 
spiritual manifestations, and to report thereon." 
The committee consisted of twenty- eight of its mem- 
bers. Professor Huxley and other scientific gen- 
tlemen were invited to meet with them. At a 
subsequent meeting, eight other learned gentlemen 
were added to the committee. This committee 
appointed six experimental sub-committees. The 
following is a synopsis of the report of the original 
committee. They held fifteen meetings, and re- 
ceived evidence from thirty-three persons, who 
described phenomena which, they stated, had 
occurred within their own personal experience. 
They received written statements from thirty-one 
persons. They invited the attendance, and reques- 
ted the co-operation and advice of scientific men, 
who had publicly expressed opinions favorable or 



KEPORT OF THE COMMITTEE. 237 

adverse to the genuineness of the phenomena ; 

" As it appeared to your committee to be of the 
greatest importance that they should investigate 
the phenomena in question by personal experi- 
ment and test, they resolved themselves into sub- 
committees as the best means of doing so. 

" Six sub-committees were accordingly formed. 
All of these have sent in reports, from which it 
appears that a large majority of the members of 
your committee have become actual witnesses to 
several phases of the phenomena, without the aid 
or presence of any professional medium ; although 
the greater part of them commenced their investi- 
gations in an avowedly skeptical spirit. These 
reports, hereto subjoined, substantially corrobor- 
ate each other, and would appear to establish 
the following propositions." 

Then follows the report of a variety of physical 
manifestations, too long to copy, which came 
under their own observation. 

"The oral and written evidence received by 
your committee, not only testifies to phenomena 
of the same nature as those witnessed by the sub- 
committees, but to others of a more Tailed and 
extraordinary character. This evidence may be 
summarized as follows : 

"1. Thirteen witnesses state that they have seen 
fceavy bodies, in some instances men, rise slowly 
:\ the air, and remain there for some time without 
visible or tangible support. 

"2. Fourteen witnesses testify to having 
hands or figures, not pertaining to any human 



238 TESTIMONY OF WITNESSES. 

being, but life-like in appearance and mobility, 
which they have sometimes touched, or even 
grasped, and which they are, therefore, convinced 
were not the result of imposture or illusion." 

u 3. Five witnesses state that they have been 
touched by some invisible agency on various parts 
of the body, and often where requested, when the 
hands of all present were visible. 

•'•4. Thirteen witnesses declare that they have 
heard musical pieces well played upon instru- 
ments, not manipulated by any ascertainable 
agency. 

"6. Eight witnesses state that they have receiv- 
ed precise information, through rappings, writings 
and other ways, the accuracy of which was un- 
known at the time to themselves, or any other 
persons present, and which, on subsequent inqui- 
ry was found to be correct." 

Having witnessed most of what they report 
myself, in various places at home and abroad, 
some of them in the city of London, I will not 
quote further from their report, only its con- 
clusion : 

"In presenting their report, your committee, 
taking into consideration the high character and 
great intelligence of many of the witnesses to the 
more extraordinary facts, the extent to which their 
testimony is supported by the reports of the sub- 
committees, and the absence of any proof of 
imposture or delusion, as regards a large portion 
of the phenomena ; and, further, having regard 
to the unexceptional character of the phenom- 



sub-committees' report. 239 

ena, the large number of persons in every grade 
of society, and over the whole civilized world, 
who are more or less influenced by a belief in their 
supernatural origin, and to the fact that no philo- 
sophical explanation of them has, as yet, been 
arrived at, deem it incumbent upon them to state 
their conviction that the subject is worthy of 
more serious attention and careful investigation, 
than it has hitherto received. 

u Your committee recommend that this report 
and the reports of the sub-committees, together 
with the evidence and correspondence appended, 
be printed and published." 

1 will make some extracts from the sub-commit- 
tees' reports, as they will be interesting to those 
who are investigating this subject. 

On the thirteenth of April, Mr. II. D. Jencken, 
barrister at law, read a paper from which 
I will make some quotations : "In dealing with 
the question of Spiritualism, we have to combat 
several most difficult objections raised by those 
who oppose our views. Firstly, the facts are 
denied, and the dreadfully tedious process of 
establishing these by instances, overburdens the 
lecturer, until both his strength and the patience 
of the audience become exhausted. Secondly. 
where the facts arc even allowed, the cuibono is 
thrust forward with unhesitating urgency, and the 
lecturer finds himself driven apon ground quite 
foreign to scientific inquiry. If the facts oxist, 
I care little for the cuibono; if true as a feet, 
depend upon it, they have some use allowed them. 



240 sub-committees' eepoet. 

The facts are present, and there I rest contented ; 
if, however, I am asked to form an opinion, I 
would suggest that the study of the laws of differ- 
ently constituted physical states that co-exist with 
this, to our senses, recognizable reality, is a vast 
subject for study, which study necessarily leads 
to the knowledge of profounder, deeper-seated 
truths, and, possibly, to the more intimate recog- 
nition of our future state. I may, assuming that 
to be my view, urge that the study of Spiritual- 
ism has been beneficial to me individually, and 
I hope may be so to my fellow-men. But I repeat, 
I do not take this stand ; my ground is one of fact 
and scientific inquiry. 

"I will not, this evening, tax your patience 
with an account of the history of the progress of 
Spiritualism, from the days of the celebrated 
Rochester Knocki ngs, to the present hour ; nor with 
a narrative of the spiritual teachings of the past ; 
these you will find recorded (enumerating a num- 
ber of books) ; suffice it, then, if I tell you that 
upwards of Hve hundred works have been pub- 
lished by different authors upon Spiritualism and 
its phenomena, and that periodicals on the sub- 
ject are being published in all known languages." 

I will classify spiritual phenomena in different 
groups ; and first, the purely physical — these you 
will find recorded as far back as 1347 — similar to 
the numerous cases where persons have been 
raised and carried a considerable distance without 
any visible agency ; musical instruments carried 
through the air, performing as though mortals 



VARIOUS MANIFESTATIONS. 241 

were playing upon them. "These, I hold, may 
be conceded as established facts." 

The second group of phenomena is that of pro- 
ducing raps or knocks. These telegraphic signs, 
for such in truth they are, need no confirmation 
on my part ; they are so common, that thousands 
even in this town have received messages spelt out 
by this means. I have known messages to be 
spelt out by the tilting of a semi-grand piano at 
my own house, accompanied by loud raps ; no 
one at the time being in contact or within several 
feet of the instrument. I have heard sentences 
spelt out by the strings of the piano being struck 
by invisible agencies. 

The third group of phenomena includes the 
uttering of words, sentences, etc. ; the appearance 
of hands, arms and spirit-forms wholly or in part 
developed. Fortunately, within the last few 
months, instances have repeated themselves, so 
that I could name a score of witnesses, within the 
circle of my own friends, who have seen spirit- 
forms or appearances. They usually appear with 
the head and bust developed, and very luminous, 
though perfectly solid, and move about at will, 
but so transparent that objects are seen through 
them. I need not remind you that the great 
physical forces of nature, namely, light, heat, mo- 
tion, electricity, chemical action, etc., are ascribed 
to unseen waves; a subtile, all-pervading cosmic 
ether is supposed to iill space, and the mere 
change of the nature of its vibration, producing 
light, heat, electricity, mechanical motion, etc. 



242 MR. THOS. SHORTER' S REPORT. 

We have thus our great physicists driven to the 
accepting of theories by which they admit unseen 
agencies. I ask what are the causes of these 
dynamic physical forces ; these great agencies 
that uphold, in all their potent grasp, this globe 
we live on, and all other cosmic bodies ? I further 
ask, whence arise the vital organic powers that set 
the dead material of Professor Huxley's proto- 
plasm, in motion, and create forms of life ? 

At the meeting of the committee, held June 8th, 
1869, Mr. Thos. Shorter stated : ' ' My investigations 
into Spiritualism have extended over a period of 
fifteen years. Of late years, however, my inqui- 
ries have been directed to its bearings on ques- 
tions of history, philosophy and religion, rather 
than to its phenomena, as to the genuineness and 
spiritual origin of which I have long since satisfied 
myself. As, however, it is the facts of Spiritualism 
with which I understand this committee is chiefly 
concerned, I shall confine my statements to these, 
so far as they have come under my own observa- 
tion." He then gives many interesting facts which 
I have not space to transcribe, bnt concludes thus : 
"Before sitting down, I feel it a duty to protest 
against the phrase 'spirit rapping,' which has 
to-night been used as synonymous with Spiritual- 
ism, and for which a defence has been attempted. 
What is thus called is only one of the least of the 
phenomena of Spiritualism, and these phenomena 
are, as it were, only the fringe of the subject — its 
accidents, not its essence — they belong to its evi- 
dences; they are not Spiritualism itself. Spirit- 



STATEMENT OF D. D. HOME. 243 

ualism is the recognition of man as a spiritual 
being, who, even while on earth, can, under cer- 
tain conditions, hold communion with spirits who 
have left the mortal form." 

On the twenty -third of June, at their meeting, 
Mr. D. D. Home, in answer to a call from the 
chair, said, after many other things : " In a trance 
I see spirits connected with persons present. 
Those spirits take possession of me ; my voice is 
like theirs. * * * While in Paris, I saw a 
table lifted into the air with eight men standing 
on it, when there were only two or three other 
persons in the room. I have seen a pencil lifted 
by a hand to a paper and write in the presence 
of the Emperor Napoleon. The hand passed 
before and went to the Emperor, and he kissed 
the hand. It went to the Empress, she withdrew 
from its touch, and the hand followed her. The 
Emperor said: 'Do not be frightened, kiss it/ 
She then kissed it. It was disappearing ; it came 
back to me, and I kissed it. The sensation of 
touch and pressure was that of a natural hand. 
It was as much of a material hand, seemingly, as 
my hand is now. The writing was the autograph 
of the Emperor Napoleon I. The hand was his 
hand, small and beautiful as his was known to 
have been." 

"Mr. Jeffrey asked if Mr. Home could give any 
information as to the state and condition of de- 
parted human beings I 

"Mr. Home said: 'that his Information Led 
him to the opinion that precisely as we go to sleep 



244 STATEMENT BY G. DAMIANI. 

here, so we awake in the other world. Wesleyans 
were Wesleyans, Swedenborgians were Sweden- 
borgians, Mohammedans were Mohammedans. 
The spirit of a certain pasha who once appeared, 
was strongly Mohammedan.' 

" Signor Gr. Damiani stated many remarkable 
things : ' In the spring of 1865, I attended a seance 
at No. 13 Victoria Place, Clifton, where there 
were some forty gentlemen, lawyers, physicians, 
clergymen and journalists, besides a fair sprink- 
ling of ladies. I had been, up to that moment, 
an utter skeptic in spiritual matters. At first, I 
refused to sit at the large table whereat the man- 
ifestations were to take place, to keep a sharp look 
out upon the medium's movements. When it 
came to my time to talk to the spirits, the name 
of Marietta was given, as my sister. Having, as 
I thought, no sister of that name, I left the table 
in disgust. After the meeting was over, I re- 
mained to examine the modus operandi, when 
another came, whom I recognized with numer- 
ous tests, producing remarkable results. If that 
is not my sister, I thought, then there exists in 
nature something more wondrous and mysteri- 
ous, even, than the soul and its immortality. 
What had taken place at this my first seance, 
produced such an effect upon my mind, that I 
determined to continue the investigation until I 
could come finally to a more rational conclusion 
upon the subject. During the fortnight of Mrs. 
Marshall's stay in Clifton, I frequented the se- 
ances daily, and on an average, four hours a day. 



A CONVINCING TEST. 245 

Spirit after spirit I invoked, who one and all 
established their identity through the most search- 
ing tests. Having been thus uniformly successful, 
I felt somewhat perplexed about Marietta. Had 
I been mystified in her case, and in hers alone ? 
Finally I wrote to my mother, then living in 
Sicily, inquiring whether, among the nine children 
she had borne and buried, there had been one 
named Marietta ? By return of post, my brother 
Joseph, architect, now residing at Palermo, wrote 
as follows: "In reply to your inquiry, mother 
wishes me to tell you that, on October 12th, 1821, 
she gave birth, at the town of Messina, to a female 
child, who came into the world in so weakly a 
condition, that the midwife, using her prerogative 
in such emergencies, gave her baptism ; six hours 
after birth the child died, when the midwife dis- 
closed the fact of having baptized the infant under 
the name Maria (the endearing diminutive of which 
is Marietta)." The birth and death of this sister, I 
have verified by reference to the family register. 5 

"You must admit, gentlemen, that in the 
above case, unconscious cerebration has not one 
leg to stand on. 

"I have been present when a sheet of blank 
paper and a pencil have been placed under the 
table, and in a few seconds afterwards, these things 
being picked up, sentences were found written on 
the paper. Whilst in Sicily, quite recently, a 
most telling poem, two hundred lines long, in the 
Sicilian dialed, besides communications in Ger- 
man. French^ Latin and English^ have been 



246 FURTHER STATEMENT OF FACTS. 

received in my presence, the medium in this case 
being a singularly illiterate person of the artisan 
class. * * * I have heard instruments sound- 
ing and playing in good time, and with correct 
enharmonic accompaniments, whilst, to my own 
knowledge, no one in the room, with the excep- 
tion of myself, knew anything about music. 

" The sound of footsteps moving about from 
one part of the room to another, I have repeatedly 
heard in open daylight, upon occasions when no 
one was present in the room with me, except a 
seated medium. I have seen a N heavy table rise 
bodily from the floor, when only the medium's 
fingers and my own were resting lightly upon it. 
I have often, when seated, been shifted, together 
with the chair on which I have been sitting, a foot 
or more from the table. I have seen a lady raised 
in a chair at least a clear foot from the ground, 
and sustained in that position for several seconds, 
whilst no hands were touching her or her chair ; 
the medium, moreover, being a considerable dis- 
tance off. 

"I have frequently held spirit hands, at all 
events, hands not attached to any corresponding 
body, in my grasp. * * Their contact has gener- 
ally sent a thrill through my frame, somewhat res- 
embling a slight electric shock. These hands would 
melt away and dissolve in mine. In the year 
1866, at the Spiritual Lyceum, in London, I dis- 
tinctly saw Miss Mchol raised in her chair by 
some unseen agency, and placed on the table, 
around which I and many others were sitting ; 



SPIRIT VOICES. 247 

she was carried through the air with extreme 
swiftness. 

"Another interesting series of phenomena coming 
under my personal observation, has been the voice 
seances, whereat I have heard and conversed with 
spirits. Having attended several of these witli 
different mediums, and, in the presence of numer- 
ous investigators, I have, for hours together, con- 
versed with voices which could not, on either of 
these, have proceeded from any living person in 
the room wherein, for the time being, we were 
assembled. The voices vary in pitch from the firm, 
vigorous, declamatory tone of the stage, to the 
most shadowy whisper." 

I have copied a portion of this witness' testimo- 
ny, because of the similarity of his experience and 
my own. Nearly all of the things he mentions, 
have come under my own observation, during my 
course of investigation of this subject.* 



* In our investigations in Memphis, in 1856, we had most of the physic*] 
manifestations mentioned here. Some of them were accompanied with 
intelligence. The medium who knew nothing of music, would be made to 
perform many line pieces on the piano, while the Instrument would keep 
time by raising up, no one touching it, but the keys, by the young lady per- 
forming. A. guitar would perform with no visible hands touching it On 
on- occasion, it was moved, without any visible agenc] . off the table. 
ni\ up, to the floor under the table, where it performed as though I mortal 
hand was playing on it. Bishop Otey told me he had placed his guitar under 
the legs of his centre-table, and it would play his favorite tunes which his 

daughter played in earth-life. We were told if we would put our b 

under the table, they would shake hands villi us. '1 he s t ■nsation produced 
was more like a shock of a galvanic battery, than anything 1 have ever felt. 
They would show their forms when the room was darkened, by a light in the 
human shape. These things, and much more, were done, not necessary DOW 

to mention, demonstrating the presence <>i human spirits smongus. <>u 
time was not spent vsith physical manifestations, but with Intellectual and 

moral teaching's. I huve bit but little interest in such tli | 



248 WICKED SPIRITS, COUNTESS DE POMAR. 

In answer to a series of questions, lie gave his 
views and said : " That he learned from the spirits 
that there was no distinction of rank in the other 
world ; it was a republic — a democracy. The longer 
we lived here, the riper we were for the next. And 
after we left the body we began to progress for- 
ever. Bad men have to go through an atonement, 
suffering mentally and repenting ; but there was 
no physical suffering. The spirits were them- 
selves studying the question of the Deity. Mr. 
Meyers asked : ' Are there any wicked spirits V 
6 Yes, and lying spirits.' He then asked if they 
were of the Devil, and the answer was, ' Yes, he 
believed Satan did it all to deceive men.' " 

I also make the following extract from the 
Countess de Pomar's written communication to 
the committee: "Does not the consciousness of 
the superior value of our inner selves become 
evidence in favor of the idea that the higher nature 
will survive changes of matter, and live on in 
knowledge when the materials of the physical 
frame will have been incorporated with a thousand 
other forms?" 

It is at this point that Spiritualism comes to our 
aid by furnishing proof of the soul' s immortality. 
Unhappily, however, so numerous are the mock- 
ing voices, that it cannot obtain the unbiased 
hearing its great importance demands ; a conse- 
quence, probably, of its being somewhat in ad- 



long since passed that phase of the subject ; yet, these have their mission 
to fulfill, and are, to many minds, the most demonstrative and satisfactory 
In the first investigations. 



STRANGE INCONSISTENCY. 



249 



vance of the age, and, to some extent, on account 
of the impositions, practiced in its name. In the 
Christian world the belief has never failed, and 
this not merely because it is pleasing to believe 
that the dear dead ones still take an interest in 
our condition, but because of testimony given 1 >y 
so many of the noblest and purest of men and 
women, to the fact that they have been thus 
visited. From the days of the Christian Fathers, 
there is an unbroken line of testimony to this fact. 
and, curiously enough, it is borne by men who 
are applauded for everything but this belief in 
Spiritualism ; when they speak of what they saw 
and knew, they are rejected, but are reverently 
believed when speaking about matters of specu- 
lation. 

We should expect that growth in knowledge 
and goodness will be in the future as gradual as 
it is in the present, and if this be so, we can at 
once account for the contradictory answers so 
frequently given by spirits. If one of these lias 
but recently left us, it can not know am eh more 
than it knew while in the flesh, and, therefore, 
will err speaking of subjects it can only fully 
understand when it has reached a much higher 
degree of knowledge. 

It will possibly be said, that this must cast more 
or less doubts on all spirit communications, but 
no Spiritualist has ever imagined that absolute 
reliance is to be placed in what spirits say. We 
must always use our own judgment in regard to 



250 J. burns' report. 

these communications and take each of them for 
what it is worth. 

In these later days, science has come to help us 
on our way, and show us the weak points and 
faculties of the old creeds. But lest we should 
bow down before, and content ourselves with, 
science alone, Spiritualism has come with it side 
by side. The same discoveries in electricity, whidi 
enable us to send our thoughts to the other side 
of the earth, were borne by Benjamin Franklin to 
the other side of the grave, and also serve our 
spirit friends to produce the little rap that sends 
a thrill of joy through our frame, as we receive a 
telegraphic message from those who have gone 
before us to the bright shore, proving ' that we are 
still loved and remembered, and that the dead are 
not dead, and can never die ; giving them that 
consolation which no other doctrine has hitherto 
done to humanity. 

From Mr. J. Burns' communication, I make a 
few short extracts, and, with them, conclude my- 
quotations from this report of the committee : 

"I have been desired by the committee of the 
London Dialectical Society, now investigating 
spiritual manifestations, to furnish them with 
some account of my experience therein. I do so 
with pleasure, but omit details as much as possi- 
ble, as, no doubt, you have been overwhelmed 
with accounts of common occurrences. I may 
state that I have no power peculiar to mediums, 
nor am 1 conscious of spiritual existence, except 
through the most palpable physical manifestations. 



j. burns' report. 251 

lam, therefore, constitutionally an unbeliever in 
such things, and in all matters a Nationalist. 

" From childhood, Mrs. Burns has been a medi- 
um, and many years before Spiritualism was heard 
of. Her sister Mary was found to be a very superior 
writing medium. By taking a pencil, she would 
write automatically in response to mental ques- 
tions. I have seen her write on different subjects 
with a pencil in each hand, without giving any 
attention to what she was doing. This young lady 
has, also, the faculty of conversing with spirits 
face to face. A brother of mine, whom she never 
saw and knew nothing about, thus appeared to, 
and conversed with, her a long time; and the 
description she gave of him, and the information 
he communicated, was ample evidence of the 
identity of the spirit, and of the fact that there 
was a spirit in the matter. 

"We have, also, cultivated the trance. Mrs. 
Burns has been in this state simultaneously with 
Mrs. Everitt and Mrs. Cogman, while sitting to- 
gether in seance. They met in the spiritual state, 
and conversed and walked together. When they 
returned to their physical consciousness, they 
each gave the same testimony as to their spiritual 

experiences. 

••Mrs. Burns and Miss Mary Bee spirits quite 
readily while in the trance. The spirits are. also, 
seen producing the direct writing. The spirits 
are, also, seen to mow physical objects, and touch 
the poisons in the circle. Mrs. Burns Baw the 

Spirits at Mr. Alsop's circle cany a Bible, up- 



252 

wards of eleven pounds in weight, from the side- 
board on to the table. This process of carrying 
has been observed many times. The spirits do 
not put their hands under objects when they car- 
ry them ; they place their fingers on the top of 
them. When the spirit voice is heard, Mrs. Burns 
sees the spirit holding the table and carrying it 
about the room. 

" We make use of this seeing faculty as a means 
of communion with the spirits. To practice it, 
we retire to a darkened room, and in a short time, 
if the conditions are favorable, the spirits appear 
in groups in the vicinity of the persons to whom 
they are attached. By this means, persons now 
deceased have been accurately described by the 
clairvoyants. The spirits communicate their in- 
formation by writing in luminous scrolls, which 
are promptly read. These spirits are of various 
historical periods and countries, and their appear- 
ance is very peculiar. Sometimes they write 
through Miss Mary' s hand, automatically, and in 
different styles and languages. On one occasion 
a gentleman translated one of these communica- 
tions, it was in Spanish, and the spirit had describ- 
ed himself as a Spaniard. In the trance, she has, 
also, spoken in various languages. 

" Mrs. Burns sees spirits in attendance on pub- 
lic speakers, and has, also, observed them in the 
theatre inspiring the leading characters. 

"The result of my experience has been to 
establish that there are two kinds of matter — one 
peculiar to the physical world, and one peculiai 



THEORIES MUST CONFORM TO FACTS 253 

to the spiritual world ; that every object has a 
spiritual, as well as a physical, condition ; that 
certain individuals give off this spiritual matter 
in such a way as to relate them peculiarly to the 
spiritual world, which constitutes such persons 
mediums ; that this spiritual form of matter is that 
of which the objective personality of spirits is 
composed ; that it is the link which enables them 
to control physical objects, and, also, that it is 
the bond which connects mind with matter in this 
physical state." 

I have copied this much from the report of this 
committee, to show that similar manifestations 
are occurring in England, as have been in this 
country for now near a quarter of a century. 
Having seen nearly all of them myself, I can not 
question the truth of what the witnesses state, or 
the correctness of the "Report of the scientific 
committees appointed by the London Dialectical 
Society, to investigate the phenomena alleged to 
be spiritual manifestations." 

It is passing strange that, with the proof before 
them of the relative importance of sense and intel- 
lect, of fact and theory, so many of our modern 
scientists should be found still cleaving to the 
old discarded folly of making our own mental 
conceptions a test of the truth. Someofth 
not only reject the facts that do not square with 
their theories, but refuse even to inquire and 
investigate, contending that asserted facts are not 
facts, because, according to their preconceived 
notions, such facts are impossible. What is this 



254 REPORT OF SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE. 

unphilosophical folly, but a tacit assumption of 
infallibility % Common sense, as well as experience, 
should teach them that the course of wisdom is to 
deal with a fact asserted by credible witnesses, 
by careful investigation, with patient trial and 
test, and thus ascertain if it be a fact or a fallacy. 
If it be found to be a fact, then it is their business 
to make that fact square, as assuredly it will, with 
the other facts of nature. It is the duty of an 
honest truth- seeker to mould his own theory as 
best he may, to the new facts found to be indis- 
putable. Unhappily for the cause of science, 
this appears to be too severe a toil, or, perhaps, 
is thought to be too humiliating a confession for 
philosophers who claim omniscience and infalli- 
bility ; so they go on obstructing instead of pro- 
moting the progress of all knowledge that happens 
to be in discord with their assumptions. It is sad 
to see professors exhibiting this dogmatism of 
science, which in them is more odious than the 
dogmatisms they so lavishly charge upon the 
professors of theology. 

The committee appointed by the London Dialec- 
tical Society to examine and report on Spiritual- 
ism, a synopsis of which I have copied, has been 
frank and candid. Their example is well worthy 
of imitation by scientists in our country. If the 
things which they have witnessed, be facts, then 
science must look at them from a different stand- 
point than the one from which many have been 
disposed to view it in this latitude. Science must 
and will harmonize with truth, and truth must 



TWO KINDS OF OPPONENTS TO SPIRITUALISM. 256 

eventually triumph over error of every kind. Our 
ignorance is the only reason why we think there 
is any antagonism between science and the phenom- 
ena of Spiritualism. 

Ignorance, however, is not so great an obstacle 
to overcome, as the assumption of knowledge ; 
the one is merely the empty house of which 
possession may be taken ; the other, is the house 
barred and bolted against ingress. No where in 
the whole range of science, does the show of 
knowledge conceal more profound ignorance, than 
the theories promulgated by scientific men in 
regard to Spiritualism. It is to be hoped that the 
investigations which are now progressing in Eu- 
rope, and especially in London, will result in a 
far more plausible theory, than any which has 
emanated from that source. For reasons satisfac- 
tory only to themselves, they have hitherto treated 
this subject with a strange neglect. It has been 
decried and discredited by two parties of oppo- 
nents. The scientists have sought to scare inquirers 
by the cry of "superstition," because there, if 
anywhere, was to be found the sling and the stone. 
that could slay Materialism. This the Rev. John 
Wesley affirmed more than a century ago. On the 
other side, authority formerly sought to frighten 
by a warning against trespass upon holy ground, 
because it deemed wrongly thai to apply science 
to the question of the spiritual nature of man. its 
existence, its dwelling, and its destiny, was to 
deny the validity of its own mission. Hie time 
has come when the pretensions of any party to 



256 SPACE FILLED WITH INTELLIGENT BEINGS. 

prohibit inquiry can be no longer recognized. 
Anathema can not be permitted to rest on any 
branch of knowledge. Wherever there is some- 
thing to be known, it is our right and our duty to 
search for it. There is no dangerous truth, nor 
any desirable ignorance. There is no boundary 
for the explorations of science ; nothing that is 
really insignificant or unworthy of being known. 
A new fact, however seemingly small, is a substan- 
tial addition to the sum of knowledge — it may be 
the pioneer of a whole territory of new learning. 
The tiny rap, insignificant as it seemed to be, has 
awakened an interest unknown previously upon 
one of the most deeply interesting subjects that 
ever engrossed the attention of mankind. It is 
destined, at no distant day, to lift the veil which 
has been between the visible and the invisible 
worlds ; and we shall see that the immensity of 
space is filled with living, immortal beings who 
have passed through the earth-plane of their 
existence, and are enjoying their spiritual life of 
development ever upward. There is no reason 
why the invisible ether that floats between 
the visible worlds should not be inhabited by 
living beings. On the contrary, it is most in 
accordance with the whole scheme of creation, so 
far as we can penetrate it ; that the spaces about 
us and beyond us, should be thronged with 
life. Do we not see an exuberance of life every 
where, in all that is evident to our senses ? Does 
not the very strongest presumption thence arise, 
that the vast interspaces between the material 



THE NATURE OF OUR SPIRITS. 267 

worlds, are filled with beings who once inhabited 
them, and who have gone through a similar pro- 
cess of organization that the inhabitants of earth 
have. God is uniform in his works. Universal 
law prevails everywhere, and if the same economy- 
prevails in the creation beyond our senses, that 
we witness in so much of creation as is manifested 
to us, we must conclude that the beings who 
probably dwell in the vast spaces between the 
solid worlds are constructed of material adapted to 
the condition of their abode ; and, therefore, of 
matter infinitely more refined than any thing of 
which our keenest sense conveys to us the slight- 
est impression. It is not impossible, or even 
improbable, that the very atmosphere that envelops 
us, should be the abode of beings fashioned 
for existence in such a sphere, but invisible to 
our coarser senses. It is in accordance with the 
known economy of creation that it should be. 
From the nature of our material structure, com- 
posed of matter of a coarser kind, adapted to our 
more solid world, science is not yet prepared to 
appreciate this mode of existence. 

The material of which our spiritual nature is 
constructed, must be finer than the finest gas 
known to science ; as a consequence of this, it is 
not subject to the force of gravitation ; consequent 
upon this exemption from the law of gravity, the 
power of locomotion must be vastly greater than 
we can conceive. It is the force of gravity that 
chains our bodies to the surface of the earth. 
Could we be released from the ever present intlu- 



258 SPIRIT NOT SUBJECT TO LAW OF GRAVITY. 

ence of that force, we should be able to scale the 
sky or flash from place to place in a moment. 

That this is true in regard to spirits, no one will 
question who has witnessed some phases of the 
phenomena. I have seen them appear to float, as 
it were, in the air at will, without the least arjpar- 
ent effort on their part ; constituted of material 
infinitely more refined and elastic, lighter than the 
atmosphere, and having no impediment in earth 
or in the air, such a being could move in any 
direction at will. It could pass with the speed of 
thought from place to place, however distant. 
The densest rock, the hardest metal, would be no 
impediment, whatever, to such a being, because 
of the still greater rarity of the medium by which 
it would be encompassed. 

What we call a solid, is only such to our sensa- 
tions. Science tells us there is no actual solid 
in nature ; to its eye, the most compact substance 
is only an agglomeration of atoms drawn together 
and kept together by an attractive force, with 
spaces between them. We say of a substance it is 
solid, only because it impedes the action of our 
muscles. The spirit being composed of atoms 
infinitely more refined than those of any earthly 
substance, can certainly penetrate and pass 
through the most solid substance known to us with 
perfect ease and facility, and that, too, upon 
scientific principles. No displacement of a single 
atom of the penetrated body would be necessary, 
and no greater effort would be required than for 
ourselves to pass through the air. How must the 



SCIENCE AND AUTHORITY. 259 

atmosphere be laden with beings imperceptible to 
onr touch, though incessantly striking upon us \ 
How many delicate waves of sounds are traveling 
through the air which the natural ear cannot catch, 
but which the inner ear of the clairaudient can hea r 1 
What would be the influx of strange and undream- 
ed of knowledge, and what new beauties and won- 
ders would be opened unto us, if our spiritual 
senses were able to penetrate the invisible world 
around us ? 

Distracted between the arrogant teachings of 
science and authority ; the one pointing to fact, 
and the other appealing to faith ; the latter claim- 
ing the existence of a spiritual " inner man ;" the 
former as dogmatically asserting: "I can find no 
trace of it;" they seem to be antagonistic. And 
thus they have been, the one contending with the 
other. There authority venturing no definition of 
this inner nature, either as to form, substance, 
dwelling place in the body, relationship to the 
material structure, or the conditions of its exist- 
ence in the future, it is not surprising that painful 
doubts should prevail, nor that thousands of 
thinking minds find their faith failing them; they 
try not to think; they strive to thrust out the 
intruding thought of unbelief. Multitudes who 
endeavor to persuade themselves that they arc 
believers, are still conscious that their faith in the 
soul's immortality is not so fixed as before the 
Materialists of science had whispered doubts into 
their minds. Hence, in cultivated society every 
where throughout Europe and America, there is a 



260 OUR FUTURE HOME. 

vast stratum of unbelief; it pervades the press, 
not so much in the form of avowed skepticism, 
but in a shape more insidious, therefore the more 
dangerous. I hope and believe these antagonisms 
will be harmonized by the manifestations of those 
who have passed the veil and show themselves as 
occular demonstration, that they still live. 

These views of our future home, as taught by 
spirits, are strictly in accordance with the laws 
which science shows us to be governing the world 
in which we are now dwelling, and we may fairly 
deduce from them the prospect of an existence in 
the future, for the spirit that has been emancipated 
from its clay tenement. Such a destiny is worthy 
the dignity of his intellectual and moral nature, 
and source from which he derived his being, as 
revealed to us in the Bible. It is, also, in harmony 
with what St. Paul says of coming to an innumer- 
able company of angels and the spirits of just 
men made perfect, who, though invisible to mor- 
tal sight, yet whose companionship he enjoyed 
when he was caught up into the third heaven, and 
could not tell whether he was in or out of his 
natural body ; but he knew he was in Paradise, 
or place of departed spirits, which, as we believe, 
is not very far away ; at least, near enough for 
the first martyr, Stephen, to see into while yet he 
was living here, and which thousands have seen 
with spirit eyes, and whose music has been heard 
with spirit ears while in the natural body ; their 
eyes being opened, as the prophet's servant's were, 



WHAT EDWARD COX SAYS. 261 

to see the invisible host that were on the mountains 
and in the air for their defense. 

I copy from Mr. Edward Cox, of London, 
sergeant-at-law, and one of the first scientists of 
England, who has recently published a work on 
" psychology," the following : "I have preserved 
careful notes of seventy-three experiments in addi- 
tion to the extensive series undertaken by the 
Dialectical Society. All of them were made with 
care and caution, with tests suggested by scientific 
skill applied by scientific men, whose desire and 
design it was to detect imposture, and who were 
actuated only by an earnest resolve to expose 
fraud, if it existed, and to ascertain the very truth. 

"The utmost precautions were taken to make 
mechanical preparations impossible, and to pre- 
clude confederacy. Each of these seventy-three 
experiments was tried in a private room at the 
residence of one of the investigators, and no 
stranger was admitted. The psychic came alone ; 
was never left alone for an instant ; was allowed 
to bring nothing with him ; was purposely depriv- 
ed of an opportunity for the introduction, prepar- 
ation, or planting of machinery of any kind. For 
the most part the phenomena were exhibited un- 
der full light of gas, and when for special purpo- 
ses, darkness was permitted, the hands of the 
psychic were always held in the linn grasp of two 
of us, and our feet placed upon his feet, so as to 
make any movement by him Impossible, without 
instant detection. 

"We have scon the departed laces whose claims 



262 WHAT EDWARD COX SAYS. 

would appear to be so easily proved or disproved. 
We have viewed them in the light of day, and in 
the blaze of gas. We have talked with them, 
touched them, and once being invited to place a 
finger in the ' spirit' s ' (?) mouth, we did so, and 
received a painful proof that the face was not a 
mask or shadow, but a very human substance, 
indeed, with sharp teeth and salivary glands. 

"But although some tests were applied to all 
of them, none were so perfect as to entirely satisfy 
us. Once we hoped to have devised a perfect test. 
In the house of our party, a well known scientist, 
the psychic was bound hand and foot with sealed 
cords, and wrapped in a dressing-gown, the sleeves 
of which were by us sewn together, and all confi- 
dently pronounced an escape from these bonds to 
be impossible without detection. As usual, in 
two minutes " the face" appeared at the curtain 
that was hung between the two drawing rooms, at 
a distance of eight feet from the psychic, and for 
full an hour this most human and unspiritual per- 
sonage kept up an active conversation with us, 
calling us all by name, taking our hands, putting 
an iron ring upon our arms, and handing us 
books and other small furniture of the room in 
which he was. We went to view the psychic, and 
found him still in his chair, apparently bound as 
we left him, and we were on the point of admitting 
that the test had been conclusive, when one of the 
scientists observed that the dressing gown, which 
we had left buttoned, was now partly unbuttoned. 
From the position ot the bound arms, it was im- 



/ 



CHRISTIANITY, SCIENCE, SPIRITUALISM. 2G3 

possible that he could have unbuttoned without 
releasing his arms from the cords." 

I could give a number of extracts from this 
interesting work, which I think very clearly shows 
that science does acknowledge the fact that human 
beings do appear, converse with, and are handled 
by, the first scientific men in the world. From 
these phenomena, admitted to be true by scientitic 
men, I think it is very clearly demonstrated that 
science does establish that communion, and, con- 
sequently, there is harmony between science and 
Spiritualism. This is what I assert, and what I 
think is very clearly proved to the unprejudiced 
mind. Both are in strict accord with universal 
law, having nothing miraculous or supernatural 
about them. 

It seems to me that they have "exhausted all 
possible natural agencies," and that there is noth- 
ing left for them but to acknowledge "the spirit- 
ual theory." "If the evidences of the senses are 
not entirely to be rejected, no fact in science is 
proved more conclusively than this." The posi- 
tion I have taken is, that there is harmonv between 

CHRISTIANITY, SCIENCE AND SPIRITUALISM. 

I believe all of them are from the Great First 
Cause, and must of necessity harmonize the one 
with the other. Convince the intelligent portion 
of mankind of this TEUTH, and I think there would 
be few that would not embrace the Latter as they 
do the former. If my Spiritualism be tint*, thru 
my Christianity is also true; and mc< versa. 
When the church can look at Spiritualism from 



264 DEATH, MAN'S INNER NATURE. 

this standpoint, then I think it will cease its antag- 
onism to it, and hail it as the harbinger of the great 
millennial day so long looked for, with so much 
interest, when the knowledge and the glory of God 
shall fill the whole earth, and all flesh together 
see and rejoice in the great salvation so amply 
provided for all the sons and daughters of man. 

The veil which is now sometimes drawn aside, 
which separates the material from the spiritual 
world, will be removed, and what is called death, 
will be desired by mankind as the opening of the 
chrysalis in which our faculties are now confined to 
earth, which then will soar with inconceivable 
velocity throughout the immensity of space, and 
especially to this earth to minister to loved ones 
from whom they have been only partially separa- 
ted for a little season. 

Our positive knowledge of man's inner nature 
has been extremely limited ; its very existence is 
disputed by nine-tenths of the scientists, who deny 
that there is anything not natural, or that there is 
any force in nature with which they are not already 
acquainted. The non-scientific world professes to 
believe in the soul. But ask them what it is, and 
few will give any idea of its substance, qualities, 
powers, or dwelling place. The teachings we have 
had from the pulpit, have been a vague, etherial 
immortality. There has been no well defined 
theory taught, embracing the true characteristics 
of the "immortal man," as St. Paul calls it, in 
any of the creeds or catechisms, with which I am 
acquainted. 



THE SERV A N T Gl ML. 265 

My opinion is, that man is a trinity, consisting 
of an animal organization, which he carries through 
his earthly life, and leaves at death. That he, al» >, 
lias a spiritual body, which is to the spiritual 
what the natural body is now to the spiritual 
body, and which is of so refined a nature that 
matter is no obstruction whatever to its passage 
through it. This body can, as Dr. Adam (Mark 
says, "become visible to mortals," as well as 
communicate with them. 

This body is but the fleshy garment which 
the spiritual body wears in the present state of 
existence, and when this garment is thrown aside 
by what we call death, then we are free from the 
laws that have controlled us, and are subject to 
other laws which are immutable, but of a very 
different nature. Of these laws mankind are not 
only ignorant, but incredulous as to their very 
existence, and still more, their action. One of tin- 
laws of spiritual existence is, that this inner nature 
can, and does, perceive spiritual things while the 
spirit is connected with the body. There arc a 
number of these instances given in the Bible, where 
it is said their eyes were opened. My first exam- 
ination of this state, was a servant girl of mine, in 
1854-5. She would, while apparently sensel 
with eyes closed, limbs rigid, and to all appear- 
ance unconscious, speak and write things which 
she could not possibly do when in her normal 
state. She would sav she saw certain persons, 
talk to them, tell us who they said they were, and 



266 MISS FISHER, HIGHER PHASE. 

what they said to us, and many things of a re- 
markable character. 

My next examination was with Miss Fisher, 
with whom a dozen of citizens of Memphis investi- 
gated this subject* for months consecutively, in 
1856, a number of whom are still living here now, 
and they occupy the highest positions socially, 
and in their respective churches. She would, 
when in the trance state, describe minutely those 
of our friends present, tell us what they said, and 
thus give clear tests of their identity. This was 
then, and still is, one of the most .interesting phases 
of this subject, of which I have recently had 
experience. 

There is another, and a higher phase of this 
subject. It is this, that a disembodied spirit (so 
called), can take possession of mediums and use 
their physical organs as their own. With this I 
have been familiar for many years. There is no 
more mystery in it, than there is in one person 
mesmerizing another, and making them think, act, 
and feel as they please. The entranced person 
loses the consciousness of his own identity, has no 
memory of his own ; but sustains the character 
of the person who has possession of and controls 
him. Their inner nature is partially severed from 
the body, while another spirit controls the organs to 
speak or write, supplying the intelligence, and will 
thus manifest itself to the material world, through 
the organs of a borrowed body. The utterances, 
may be moulded, to some extent, by the instru- 
ment through which they come. A question very 



MEDIUMSIIIP, THE TERM SUPERNATURAL. 2G7 

naturally arises, what constitutes a medium for 
such strange things ? In answer, there is no peculiar 
form, complexion, age or temperament ; they are of 
all ages, both sexes, of all countries, and of all de- 
grees of intelligence ; some are weak and sickly, 
some robust and strong ; they are in all ranks of 
society, and vastly more numerous than most per- 
sons suppose. The prejudice which formerly 
existed against such, has not been, as I think if 
will be ere long, entirely obliterated among sensi- 
ble people. There are a few persons who arc 
frightened at the foolish and ignorant assertions 
of some superstitious fanatics, that the power thus 
developed is a dangerous and forbidden one 
Some of the most powerful are children from seven 
to ten years of age, thus proving the phenomena 
are not frauds. It is developed by practice, like 
any other faculty. Probably there arc but few 
households in which there is not some member 
who might become developed to sonic phase 
of mediumship. If some three or four or more 
persons will sit together nightly, twice or thrice 
a week, there is strong probability that one or 
more of them would become a medium. I think 
the besl place to examine the subject is at home, 
or in the circle of intimate friends. 

It lias been the custom of our teachers to apply 
the term supernatural to that which they could 
not analyze or understand. They attribute the 
inexplicable to a miraculous power. All this is 
erroneous. There is do miracle in any phase of 
Spiritualism. It is all in perfect accordance with 



268 ELECTRICITY, FORCE, MAGNET. 

a law which has been in existence as long as any 
other law of which we have any knowledge. 

Who would not have thought a man a fit sub- 
ject for the lunatic asylum who would have assert- 
ed fifty years ago, that we should have in our 
commission houses in Memphis the means of com- 
municating with the commercial world in advance 
of time, or in a moment to send messages and 
receive them across the ocean ? Yet the principle 
of electricity has been in existence ever since the 
morning stars sang together at the birth of creation. 
The difficulties to be encountered are not more 
formidable in these things than some of the phe- 
nomena of science. After centuries of observation 
and experiment, scientists have failed to discover 
what the thing is which passes from the magnet 
to the steel, seizes the substance of the latter, and 
drags it to the former. We know of the existence 
of any force only by its manifestation. A force 
passes from the electric machine to the coated jar, 
but the investigators have failed to discover what 
the imperceptible thing is that goes into the jar, 
which, on leaping to restore the equilibrium that 
has been disturbed, can paralyze the strongest 
arm. 

Man has existed on the earth thousands of years, 
and all that time the electric, the galvanic and the 
magnetic were all about him, controlling him, as 
they now are, and yet the discovery of them is 
recent, and our knowledge of them has been 
gained in our own day, but their modus oper- 
andi we do not yet understand, yet the facts no 



NATURAL AND SPIRITUAL WORLDS. 269 

one doubts. This is the age spoken of by the 
prophets, when "many shall run to and fro, and 
knowledge shall be increased." The astounding 
discoveries in the natural world are in harmony 
with the developments in the spiritual world. Many 
things which have been considered as laws have 
been found to be fallacies, and many things which 
have been regarded as miraculous or supernatural, 
are in perfect harmony with laws which are as 
immutable as the God of Nature who gave them. 
A new era is dawning on the world, and the soon- 
er we renounce some of our old theories the better. 
Truth, law and principle are eternal. 

Before leaving the scientific view of this subject, 
I wish to notice some fundamental principles 
acknowledged by scientists, which may shed some 
light upon this subject. 

First. There is in man something other than 
the molecular structure ; an intelligent entity 
structured otherwise than the body, by whose 
intelligence the material structure of the body is 
moved and directed. 

Second. That this something dwells in the body 
in the normal condition of its existence, maintain- 
ing a certain relationship to the body, and receiv- 
ing its impressions from, and expressing itself 
upon, the external material world only through 
the medium of the body. 

Third. The general conclusion from the Burvey 
of the entire series of the phenomena of this 
inward something as manifested in dreams, s<>m- 



270 THE SOUL. 

nambulism and trance, is that man has a soul as 
well as a body. 

Fourth. That this soul or spirit is a distinct 
entity, capable of partial severance from the body 
during life, and entire severance at death, and 
does not die with the body. The Materialists 
themselves maintain that nothing dies, not even 
matter to which they limit their recognition ; 
it is, they say, merely a change of form. 

If nothing dies ; if there is a soul ; if we have 
souls clothed with matter that falls from us and 
exists forever, it is a necessary conclusion that the 
soul can never die, but must still live under con- 
ditions of existence adapted to its changed condi- 
tion. Some of those conditions we know, others 
we do not and can not know. But we know this 
much, that by the death of the body, the soul must 
be released from the bonds of the material organs 
through which, alone, while living on earth, life 
under earth conditions, it could perceive and com- 
municate ; and this new condition of itself implies 
an enormous expansion of intelligence and power. 
Moreover, the disembodied spirit must be emanci- 
pated from the human notions of time and space, 
and the laws and conditions, by which it was to a 
great extent, controlled while embodied with a 
material organization. 

All of this psychology can prove as perfectly as 
the facts of other sciences are proved. 

Progression seems to be the law of the universe, 
and the soul is doubtless subject to this law. We 
may, therefore, conclude from these premises, 



THE SPJBIT TilE REAL MAN. 271 

endless changes of existence will occur, and that 
it will be upward and onward forever. 

The visible body is certainly a transitory phe- 
nomenon ; the matter of which it is composed, is 
ever changing ; something abiding there must be, 
or the visible body could not continue in existence, 
but that something can not be that which meets 
the eye. And if that which remains is not this, 
what is it % It is spirit. It is a spiritual exist- 
ence, having form, shape, senses complete, and 
adapted to the new mode of its being upon which 
it enters upon its emancipation from its material 
form in which it has, for a time, lived and acted. 
As a ray of light through a dark room makes 
visible the illuminated motes of dust floating in it, 
so this spiritual being is made manifest to the eye 
by matter passing across it ; the spirit being the 
real man, the material structure being only that 
through which it acts, in this its infant state of 
existence. Like the pillar of cloud by day and 
the pillar of fire by night, which went before the 
Israelites, it may be that the visible body hides, 
rather than reveals, the real presence of the person 
within it. Is the natural visible body capable of 
a transformation by which the ties of earth may 
be so far unloosed as to allow it to float in the air. 
or become actually invisible without Losing Ltfl 
capability of again becoming visible a transfigur- 
ation by which, as a spirit, it may be anywhere 
in a moment — not by becoming mere disembodied 
spirit — but by becoming spirit capable of embod- 
iment at another place. There are many well 



272 SCIENTISTS, MATERIALISTS, PHYSICISTS. 

attested facts which seem to demonstrate the truth 
of this theory. 

That persons have not only been elevated to the 
ceiling of rooms, carried out at one window and 
brought in at another, but carried by some unseen 
power a considerable distance, there can be no 
doubt, if human testimony can be taken in the 
attestation of such facts. 

Scientists engaged habitually on dead matter, 
which they can handle at will and deal with as 
they please, are disposed to sneer at such things, 
and at the methods of research pursued by the 
investigator of the forces of intelligent life, and to 
discredit his science as being shadowy and unreal, 
because it has not the basis of a measurable and 
penetrable substance. None of the forces with 
which they have such extensive dealings are 
more perceptible or penetrable than the psychic 
forces with which psychology is concerned. Ma- 
terialists know of magnetism, electricity, heat, 
light, gravitation, only by their action upon the 
substances of which the observer's senses can take 
cognizance. It is because the scientist sees certain 
manifestations of force that he concludes the exist- 
ence of it, and he learns, or thinks he learns, the 
nature and qualities of that force by noticing its 
operations upon the substances coming within its 
influence. In fact, the physicist knows no more oi 
the magnetic force, or the force of gravity, than 
the psychologist knows of the nerve force, mental 
force, or soul force. The physicist sees the steel 
leaping to the magnet in defiance of the laws of 



SCIENCE SHOULD 3EEK TRUTH. 273 

gravity, yet he can see nothing, feel nothing pass- 
ing from the magnet to the steel by which it can 
be drawn. 

Science shonld seek only the truth ; it should 
shrink from no conclusion, however strange or 
unpopular ; disguise no difficulties. It is bound 
by the law of honor to make a frank confession of 
ignorance, and not to be ashamed to admit that 
there are still mysteries to be unveiled and prob- 
lems to be solved, which they do not now compre- 
hend. Let not scientific men, then, sneer at Spir- 
itualism with its facts, even if they can not com- 
prehend its theories. 

First find the facts, and then construe the theory 
upon which they are founded. Do not start out 
upon scientific inquiry with a theory — the theory 
will color the facts. Study the conditions requis- 
ite to the production of the result, and proceed in 
strict compliance with these conditions. 

You can not impose conditions upon nature and 
science. Nothing exists without conditions. Only 
one who has not studied this subject, would de- 
mand to impose conditions of his own, devising as 
tests of the truth of an asserted fact. Yet this is 
done by many in regard to spiritual manifesta- 
tions. I am often asked why all these things can 
not be done in open light \ Every one knows 
there are some things in chemistry which can be 
done only in the dark. Many of the spirit mani- 
festations mentioned in the Bible were in the dark- 
ness. Many of these are done in the light. And 
now I ask the scientists of Memphis to go and 



274 SCIENTIFIC MEN. 

examine these facts, and give us your scientific 
explanations of them. I unhesitatingly say, that 
no honest man, who will go and see what is done 
in Mrs. Miller 1 s presence, can for a moment ques- 
tion the facts, than he can any other facts of which 
his senses are capable of judging. My opinion is 
that those who have passed from us will soon 
show themselves in open daylight and talk to their 
friends. 

I have watched with much interest, the course 
pursued by scientific men in regard to Spiritual- 
ism for many years ; they have, in most cases, 
utterly ignored the subject as unworthy of inves- 
tigation by them. When compelled by public 
opinion to examine its claims, they have not de- 
voted the time to it that was necessary to form a 
correct opinion in regard to it. There have been, 
however, some honorable exceptions ; one of these 
I will mention : Professor Hare, of Philadelphia, 
who, like most of them, was a Materialist, until 
converted by his critical investigations of Spirit- 
ualism. For years past, such men as Tyndall, 
Fare ada y and Carpenter, have professed to look 
with contempt upon the subject, as being unwor- 
thy of their notice ; regarding the whole matter as 
barefaced imposture. They have been as much 
disposed to dogmatize as some preachers, but 
some of these classes are waking up to see the 
folly of the course they have been pursuing. They 
now are beginning to think there may be some- 
thing in it, after all, worthy of their attention ; 
they are modifying their views, and some of them 



MR. crooks' experiments. 275 

have had the manly independence to patiently 
investigate the subject, and give the world their 
opinion in regard to it. Mr. Crooks, editor of the 
Quarterly Journal of Science, of London, stands 
foremost among this class; he lias Learned some 
facts and phenomena, and published them, which 
have set the scientific men to thinking. They are 
learning that there are more things in this world 
than science has ever taught them — there is a new 
region of natural facts and truths which they have 
never explored; they are learning that what they 
have hitherto considered as fabrications of delib- 
erate imposters, or the ravings of disordered 
brains, are sober realities susceptible of moral, if 
not mathematical demonstration. 

I copy Mr. Crooks' account of one of his expe- 
riments, a more detailed account of which will be 
given to the public by this celebrated scientific 
gentleman : 

" The phenomena I am prepared to attest are 
so extraordinary, and so directly appose the most 
firmly rooted articles of scientific belief— amongst 
others the ubiquity and invariable action of the law 
of gravitation — that, even now, on recalling the de- 
tails of what I witnessed, there is an antagonism 
in my mind between reason, which pronounces it 
to be scientifically impossible, and the conscious- 
ness that my senses, both of touch and sight and 
those corroborated, as they were, by the senses of 
all who were present -are not Lying witnef 
when they testify against niy preconceptions." 

The domain of science has hem too restri 



276 SPIRITUALISM AND ITS WORK. 

It must, and will be, enlarged. Spiritualism 
invites it to its vast field of exploration. A spirit 
realm enfolds and pervades it, and is not antago- 
nistic to, but in harmony with, it, if its truths 
were properly understood. This immense field, 
to which science is invited, contains prolific soil, 
ready to bring forth an abundant harvest, if culti- 
vated properly, upon scientific principles ; show- 
ing agents and forces which have not been recog- 
nized by scientific men. 

The day is dawning — life and immortality are 
being brought to light by those , who have been 
most in darkness themselves. Human beings who 
have passed away from their earth-life, return 
with their spiritual bodies, looking as natural as 
they ever did. Not a few favored mortals have 
seen, felt and conversed with them, but thousands 
of witnesses all over the land, can testify to the 
truth of these things. 

Spiritualism has a mighty work to accomplish ; 
it stands between two great rival mental forces, 
both of which have been arrayed against it ; the 
materialistic force which has, to a great extent, 
ruled the learned world of the nineteenth century as 
with a rod of iron. It is yielding to the indisputable 
truths which Spiritualism is demonstrating, and 
ere long, I think, will surrender to the over- 
whelming array of phenomena which can not be 
questioned. 

Christianity never should have arrayed itself 
against it ; nor do I believe it ever would, but for 
the fanaticism of some of its adherents. It was 



MISSION OF SPIRITUALISM. 277 

amongst the members of the Methodist Church 
that the modern phase took its rise, and it is 
among the members of the churches that there are 
the largest number of Spiritualists ; not that they 
believe in, or have any sympathy with, much that 
has been held as Spiritualism, but they believe 
in the doctrine of "ministering spirits," as taught 
in the New Testament, by Jesus and the apostles. 
When Spiritualism throws off entirely some of its 
excrescences, then, I think, the churches will see 
that it is in perfect harmony, not with the creeds 
which they have been taught, but with the great 
doctrine of purity taught by Christ as necessary 
to happiness, here and hereafter ; that we reap 
what we sow in this, in the other state of existence. 
It is thus, I believe, that Spiritualism is destined 
to bring these great rival forces into harmonious 
development, and proclaim to all that there is 
really no death. That which you call death is 
but the renewal of life — of soul life — inhabited by 
that primary living substance, we call spirit. To 
the Materialist, it echoes knowledge; to the 
Christian, it shouts, "faith is lost in Bight;" the 
darkness of the past is gone ; the dim twilight has 
disappeared, and the time lias come spoken of by 
Jesus, when you shall see the angels ascending 
and descending. The day dawneth when Christian- 
ity shall put on her beautiful garments to meet the 
bridegroom — when science shall acknowledge the 
truth— and both shall shake hands with Spiritual- 
ism, and all in sweet harmony, shout the "Lord <«<>d 
omnipotent reigneth," to whom be glory forever. 



278 



CHAPTER IX. 



Introduction — Communications received through 
a most reliable medium. 



Having devoted as much space as I think neces- 
sary to the scientific view of the subject, I pro- 
pose to show its harmony with Christianity. But 
how is this to be done ? says the objector. I answer 
that I know of no better plan than to give what I 
have received from those whose position enables 
them to be competent witnesses, as will appear in 
the communications which are to follow. 

It has always seemed very strange to me, that 
man, though giving evidence of progress in 
science, in art, and in all the various fields of 
knowledge pertaining to the earth-life, must still 
be limited to the imperfect conceptions of the past, 
in his views of the celestial existence. Is that 
universal principle of development ignored in 
man's capacity to know more of his future home 
than his fathers \ I think not. Progression is 
stamped upon universal existence ; nor is man's 
spiritual nature an exception to this acknowledged 
principle. God is uniform in His mode of pro- 
cedure, and that which was made in his own image, 
and stamped with his own likeness, has com- 



GREAT MEN, FANATICS, ETC. 279 

menced a career of unfolding which is to continue 
eternally. 

The same people who hail with delight any new 
application of a principle in the world of matter, 
who will confer honor and emoluments upon him 
who is the instrument of its promulgation, will, 
with an inconsistency most glaring, endeavor to 
heap condemnation upon the head of him who lias 
the temerity to avow that he has perceived a new 
light in the spiritual firmament. We honor the 
name of a Newton, Fulton and Morse, whose 
discoveries have done so much for the natural 
world, in the aid atforded man in his material 
labors; but what is the reward of him who fear- 
lessly announces to the world, and assert > his 
ability to demonstrate its truth by the evidence of 
those who have passed beyond the physical, into 
the spiritual, life, that they can, and do. give 
their experience and views upon their present con- 
dition and employment. There are those who 
will cry : impostor, visionary, FANATIC, ins am:, 
or agent of the devil. So the church spokcof 
Jesus and St. Paul ; and if they have done these 
things to them, what may we not expect at their 
hands 1 It is with full knowledge of these facts, and 
a just appreciation of the results, I give my teach- 
ings upon this subject, that all mayjudge for them- 
selves. It seems to me, that no rational mind 
could be so obtuse as to reject thai which all mast 
acknowledge is a great want of humanity. It 
brings man into communion with the angels, ex- 
panding his mind and purifying his heart Lei 



280 WHAT SPIRITS TELL US. 

the skeptic sneer, and the bigot scoff or cavil as 
he may, the Great Father looks on this work with 
an approving eye, and the angels shout for joy 
when they behold the sweet intercourse which has 
been opened between the two worlds, by the 
divine philosophy which unfoldsto man a higher 
destiny — a nobler life — a more beautiful existence 
than has been dreamed of in the past. 

Those who have not undergone this process of 
spiritual unfolding, can have no correct concep- 
tions of the delightful calm and deep-felt serenity 
which gradually overspreads x the soul, as the 
influences of the spirit home gather strength by 
receiving communications from loved ones gone 
before. They come and tell them of their experi- 
ence in passing through the death-change, to the 
enjoyment of the blissful Paradisiacal home they 
have found "over there." Well do they say, 
"all our troubles are over." 

The vanities, riches and honors of earth 
sink into utter insignificance, when compared with 
the real happiness enjoyed by our friends who 
have "passed over the river." What the world 
has so much dreaded, the separation of soul and 
body, is but a delightful repose and a glorious 
awaking to everlasting joy, and the fruition of all 
we are capable of enjoying. 

These communications were not obtained 
through any paid or professional medium, nor 
were they sought from home, but they were given 
in the seclusion and quietness of an humble home, 
with no one present but the medium and myself. 



THE COMMUNICATIONS. 281 

They are from relatives or intimate friends, and 
mostly designed, as expressed, for religions 
instruction and encouragement. The reader will 
please remember, that our friends came to us, not 
with theories or speculations, but they brought 
to us their experiences of the present, and told us 
of the conditions which surround them in their 
spirit home. 

I feel it to be a duty due to them, to myself 
and the cause, to give them just as they were 
written, leaving all to form their own opinion of 
them. If I had consulted my own views, I would 
have stricken out some things in reference to my- 
self, for I felt that I was not deserving the opinion 
they have given of me or my work. I have done 
nothing for which I deserve praise ; I have simply 
been an amanuensis for others to speak their con- 
victions to the world. 

I alone am responsible for the publication of 
these things. No church, sect or 'party \ can be, 
in any sense, implicated by them. They will, 
doubtless, receive the ridicule of some, and the 
sneers of others, but though I have past my three 
score years of my pilgrimage, I expect to live 
long enough to see these truths believed, and 
enjoyed by multiplied thousands who now stand 
aloof from them. With this prelude I commence 
with : 

Communications from W. K. Poston, Susanna 
Watson, N. W. Seat. W. T. Anderson^ and 

Allen, who died when a little child : 

Your dear, kind and devoted friend is uol hew 



282 FAMILY TIES CONTINUED. 

at this time, but we will try to get him to us, so 
that he may enjoy a few moments' intercourse 
with you, dear Samuel. I know he will be glad 
to say something to you to-night. Mollie. 

I will say to you, that we were very happy to 
see the step taken by Mary Posten to-day. We 
were there, and always attend that church now, 
for you all do, and our interest is for it, also. We 
think Bro. Surratt a capital preacher, and can 
endorse what he says on most all subjects. We 
pray and implore the blessings of heaven to rest 
on that church. I will now cease my remarks, 
and permit your loving friend to say something. 

Mollie. 

Well, my dear old friend, Bro. Watson, I am 
grateful for this opportunity of talking a little 
to you to-night. I have been with you nearly all 
day, but did not know that this opportunity 
would be afforded me. I was happy, yes, shout- 
ing happy to day, when my dear precious child 
started one step toward the better land; I am 
happy to know of the convictions of her conscience. 
Mary has changed very much in her thoughts 
and inclinations. I have prayed, yes, implored 
the influence of a Savior' s love to reach hers, and 
all my dear wandering children' s hearts ; but 
think, sometimes, a father's prayers will soon be 
answered, that they may feel the sacred fire of 
love divine kindled and burning in their hearts. 
I want you, Bro. Sam., to exert an influence and 
power over them for me ; tell them I keep a watch- 
ful eye and prayerful heart, always, over and 
about them. 

O, that I could but see them coming home to 
Jesus, I would shout, yes, shout forever. 

You have a minister that is calculated to win 
persons to him and the church, and will do good. 



EXHORT TO COME TO JESUS. 283 

Memphis is a wicked place, and heaven grant that 
snch men may be instrumental in reclaiming the 
wicked. We are grieved to see the wickedness 
and sin there. We are not ignorant of the condi- 
tion of the current of Memphis and the world 
generally, and I sometimes think, if I could ac- 
complish good, I would willingly sacrifice my 
happy home, and go to earth and exhort till my 
voice and strength failed. My faith is strong, Bro. 
Watson, in the prosperity of religion in your 
midst. 

Now, we are watching with vigilant eyes, the 
progress of the cause you have espoused, and can 
see the cause advancing with rapidity, and shall 
hail the triumph with Christian joy and praises to 
a kind Redeemer. Men are tailing into the belief 
everyday and almost every hour, and ere hum 
the world will, with bright and Bhining testimony, 
come forth in the glory of the brightest star of the 
galaxy. We are looking for the day with un- 
bounded interest, more than you are aware of; 
keep persevering, and I need not say to yon, not 
to be afraid of what men may say of you, but do 
you do your duty and perform your task well, 
and you will be favored by high heaven. Your 
friend, W. K. P08TON. 

Q. Is there any one here to-night that wishes to 
say anything \ 

\. Yes, a lady whom I have seen several times 
before. 

Q. What is her name \ 

A. sh<> says it is Mi*. Watson' s mother. 

( t ). Will siie say something \ 

A. L certainly am always ready to talk to y<>u, 
my dear son, and have often been present never 
yet do I remember of writing through this medi- 
um. Yon have thought, and 1 know it, "strai 



284 A MOTHER'S INTEREST. 

that my m other don' t write through Ellen. ' ' Well, 
I won't give my reasons, but it does seem that 
when there is an opportunity, there are. so many 
who are crowding to say something, that I listen, 
and delay to another time. I am not trespassing 
or using anyone' s time to-night but my own ; and 
oh, my dear son, you know I am happy to speak 
to you once more ; I have never wavered in my 
watchful care over you, and you are, and always 
will be fortunate, as long as you have such vigi- 
lant watchers to guard and direct you. You ever 
have a host around you, and, sure enough, you 
feel their influence. I don't blame you for speak- 
ing of this subject as much as you do ; it is an holy 
influence about you, and the recesses of your 
heart are filled with happy emotions which lift 
your thoughts upward, and you are very often, 
as it were, in another atmosphere. We have 
attained that purity o£ heart which throws its halo 
of light upon the poor mortals of earth, and this 
will be your enjoyment when you join the happy 
throng who have come to us and left you behind. 
You often wonder, my dear boy, " Why have they 
all left me, but a few, and I am on this poor old 
earth, and they are so happy V 9 Well, my dear 
son, yours is a peculiar case ; you have just begun 
a work yet to be completed, and it takes time and 
just such a heart as yours, to perform this won- 
drous work. The time is fast approaching when 
your task will be finished, or, at least, when you 
will have done your part ; but God will prolong 
your life to see the results of your labors. 

I have so often been cheered to see you fill the 
position you do ; you are winning a prize of glory 
which will be only enjoyed by such as you, and 
there are few like you. O, dear boy, I love you 
oh, so dearly, and reverence you the more. It is 
common for parents to expect honor from children, 



GLORIOUS, BEAUTIFUL WORLD. 285 

but your course has been so noble and good, I, as 
your mother, honor and reverence you. 

This world is so beautiful and every one so 
happy, that I feel that I will endeavor all I can to 
draw the hearts of some to persuade them to come 
to our land. I feel so much like talking to-night, 
that I will say something more about tins glori- 
ous and beautiful world of light. There are many 
who never have any fortaste or assurance of win it 
we felt here ; there are some happy ones. While 
on earth we have felt as though we could peep 
into heaven, or, rather, a beautiful world ; we 
don't call this world heaven, for we are anticipat- 
ing a heaven, just like you do ; we are striving for 
that wwld just like you all strive to attain this. 
You all think, when you get here, you will be in 
glory ; well, it will be glorious to you, but you 
will not be satisfied with this degree of happiness* 
but will look forward to that heaven of eternal 
rest ; you are not prepared or in a state for that 
blessed abode, until you pass through a change 
which is only realized here, and when you get 
here, it will be such a delightful place, you will 
sing, " I wonder if Til ever get to heaven 1" We 
are busy working for Jesus, and stand, as it were, 
right at the foot of the cross, and yet w r e cry, " A 
little nearer, oh, my Savior." We are not satis- 
fied, and the attainment of this life, creates a long- 
ing desire for something more. 

We are differently employed ; no one doing the 
others duty; each one is responsible for hie 
her conduct here, in order to insure heaven ; so it 
is for you ; the heart of man makes, tor itself, its 
own heaven, both here and when we go i«> the 
home of the saints. 

You, my dear child, must |uvss on till you are 
called home. I shall watch over you to direct 
you. Your mother, SUSASTNA WATSON. 



286 COMMUNICATION. 

Communication from Dr. N. W. Seat, an old 
schoolmate, who was long afflicted. He was a 
member of Dr. Deem' 's Church of the Strangers, 
New York. 

Yes, you must know there is some one of your 
friends always with you to communicate with 
you ; you are never alone treading the paths of 
your earthly life. My dear Bro. Watson, I am 
anxious to talk with you, my friend, and any 
thing you wish to know, I am more than willing 
to answer your questions. I never, in all my 
thoughts and opinions, could form any idea of the 
glory, the beauty, the joy, the unbounded happi- 
ness which I am blessed with here, and could I 
tell you all, I would be that much the happier ; I 
can't do it ; but you never will know all until you 
are a sharer of its bliss evermore. It is worth 
a whole life's time, long as it may be, striving for, 
denying yourself, enduring toils and afflictions for, 
and were I on earth, I would be willing, yes, more 
than willing, to suffer tenfold the affliction, if it was 
my Savior's will, to enjoy the recompense I now 
enjoy. Would I could tell the whole world, Bro. 
Watson, what I met here, and if my dear wife 
could but know it, she would no longer grieve for 
me, but with anxious and willing and cheerful 
heart, wait, and bless her God that I am happier, 
yes, far more so, than while on earth. She does 
feel resigned, but not knowing my perfect felicity, 
and not being sensible of the great change and 
delightful exchange, she is not prepared to receive 
the dispensations of a kind Father, who is always 
doing what is best for his earthly children. I 
thought I was prepared to meet these dispensa- 
tions, but I see now I was not. 

You must send this to u Mary," tell her that 
your wife was my medium; she will accept it 
.sooner, and I know she will feel happier, having 



WANTS HIS WIFE TO BE A CHRISTIAN. 287 

had it from me through this channel. TV11 her 
I want her to be patient and to be a devoted 
Christian, and devote her life more to God than 
she has ever done, for I feel that I was one of the 
feeblest of his followers, and if my feeble efforts 
secured forme such an ecstatic inheritance, 1 want 
her to live nearer to God than ever. She is a good 
woman, yes, my dear wife is a good woman, and 
I love her more than ever; I did not think, while 
on earth, that any love could be stronger, but this 
life tills us with purer affections and deeper feel- 
ings of affiliation than we ever experienced while 
on earth. I write in this strain, because I know 
she yearns for one word from me to cheer her 
troubled heart. Cheer up, my dear Mary. 

This world is bright and beautiful beyond de- 
scription; we have every thing here to contribute 
to our enjoyment. While on earth, we had many 
things of a temporal character to add to our 
enjoyment; here we have many things bearing 
strong resemblance to earth ; we have here many 
tilings to please the eye (spiritual), to delight the 
ear, and words of praise to fall from our lips; 
indeed, we have all reasons to praise the good 
Lord for his goodness; he is so kind and so 
benign. You have correct ideas, Bro. Watson, of 
this world. It is more like earth than any one 
would suppose while wandering below : we were 
too apt to paint in our imaginations a too glowing 
picture — I mean, we thought that this world 
abounded with glittering and shining streets but 
we are so changed by entering this life; we find 
that if our hearts are pure, all will seem bright 
and pure and lovely. O, /ion, how lovely to a 
heart and eye prepared for it, but if we enter with 
clouds of doubt, remorse of conscience, all will 
seem so here— there will lie no brightness to burst 
upon, until we seek for and obtain the conditions 



288 DIFFERENT SPHERES, MATERIALIZATION. 

of heart to dispel these clouds. The more Chris- 
tian-like we enter this life, the brighter and more 
beautiful this world is to us ; our earthly career 
makes a bright heaven. On earth we needed 
sleep to strengthen our natural bodies, but here 
we are strengthened by divine grace. JN"ot to say 
houses, but we have places we call our places of 
abode ; every place is ours if we choose to call it 
ours ; we have no special place assigned us, for one 
moment we are in one place, and another moment 
in another. 

Q. Give me your views of the spheres. 

A. There are spheres in this state, but we are as 
often in one as another. There are places for per- 
sons of different degrees of love, purity, and spir- 
itual love and fidelity. We are here, preparing 
for the higher sphere, and that is glory. By sphere 
is meant only the degree of grace, love, zeal and 
ardor. It is just like a person while on earth ; 
his blissful enjoyment is evidence of the degree of 
grace in his heart, and the degree of love of God 
in his heart, only produces a degree to that sphere. 
It is hard for me to tell what is meant by sphere. 

Q. Did you find the Christian religion true ? 

A. I certainly did, and had it not been for it, I 
would probably be where no joy could reach me. 

Q. What do you think of this materializing, so 
that we can see them (the departed) with our eyes ? 

A. It can be done, but I have never seen it done ; 
there is a desperate effort here to do it, and I will 
be one to try it as soon as I am prepared for it ; 
I don't think we could appear very plainly to 
you, but we might be recognized. 

Q. Can you tell whether I am a medium? 

A. You may become one some of these times, but 
it may be a long time ; if you ever are, you will be a 
good one. It is better for you not to be one now. 

Q. Why not? 



W. T. ANDERSON COMMUNICATES. 289 

A. Well, sir, you have too much to do, and too 
much on your mind; besides, you are to write a 
good deal, and you must be kept in private, and 
persons knowing anything of your being a medi- 
um, would be nocking to you. 

Ellen, my dear daughter, I am much grieved to 
know that you suffer yourself to have any mis- 
givings as to the truth of your capacity ; you 
should know that you must prepare yourself for 
these doubts which will invade your peaceful 
breast, to disturb you and harass you, but by all 
means strive to dispel them — drive them far 1'rom 
you, and I am sure you and all will be happier 
by your doing it. We are all anxious to make 
any kind of medium of you but a rapping, and 
that we regard as nothing with any who look at 
this subject from a Bible standpoint, but there are 
many who must be convinced in this way. We 
want you to write, but do not see the need of 
entrancing you ; your mission is not to convince 
any one, but only intended as a social and religi- 
ous enjoyment with our own families, therefore, 
we only intend a social intercourse through you. 
I would oftener write, but there are so many who 
are always eager to talk with Bro. Watson, that 
I give back, and now I think it best not to intrude 
too much upon your time, as there is a young 
man who says he is your husband's son, and 
wishes to write; I will be with you as 1 am. at 
your next sitting, and much love to your mother 
and Mary. Sour lather, W .T. Anderson. 

Many kind thanks t<> your dear wife's father, 
who bo kindly gave \\av to me. 1 have but little 
to say to-night, dear pa; 1 know your deep 
solicitude to hear from some of us, and as I had 

said but little to you, I came forward to chat a 



290 CHILDREN NEVER SIN. 

while with you. My experience, dear pa, has 
been a blissful one. I have always been a happy 
inhabitant of this country ; never having sinned, 
I had no penalty to pay, and I only wish all could 
make the same expression and realize the same 
experience. There are many who came at an 
early age, that can testify to the same. We are 
very happy, but this you know ; yet we never 
tire of telling the same good story. We have a 
blessed Redeemer, who can cleanse all from 
impurities, and make our souls happy, tranquil; 
then, again, there are many who had a hard and 
thorny path to tread while on earth, caused by 
transgressions, that have never enjoyed that height 
and depth which it is the privilege for the good 
to enjoy. I do wish the world could be impress- 
ed with the necessity of living in a right manner 
on earth, so as to insure for them a happy home 
here with us ; but the world goes on careless, 
caring for nothing. You cannot expect much of 
a sermon from your son, for I never preach, but 
a few words will suffice. I love to work for him 
who has done so much for me, and prepared such 
a home for his children, good or bad, though I 
fear there are some hard ones who will never enjoy 
a happy home. Allen. 



CHAPTER X. 



Communications at home, New York and London. 

A few hours before I left for Europe, on the 
sixteenth of June, I received the following : . 
"Dear Bro. Watson. — We do not intend to say 



FROM MY FATHER-IN-LAW. 291 

much this evening, but can't resist or Blight the 
opportunity to say something. Their arc others 
here, names of whom I shall give you, if you 
desire me to do so. Your mother, Susanna, she 
directs me to say: your father, Levin Watson; 
your wife, Mollie Watson; your son, Alien; 
daughter, Bettie ; your father-in-law, Allen Du- 
pree ; mother-in-law, Betsey Dupree ; father-in- 
law, W. T. Anderson ; sister-in-law, Lollio Friends 
Poston, and David J. Allen, and others, but I 
can't call their names, friends, I suppose. You see, 
Bro. Watson, there are a host of us here to-night. 
We have come to take a final farewell — not that I 
mean that you will not return home, for we be- 
lieve you will, but when friends part for a short 
time, they say good-by ; but for a long time, we 
say farewell. I don't want you to think we will 
not see you, or converse with you again during 
your absence, for we will, the first chance you will 
give us, and do not fail to do this. We will be 
with you to guard and impress you. We think 
this a wise undertaking; it is well for you to go. 
Every man should avail himself of taking a tour 
now as the age is so progressive. You must 
store your mind with new ideas, for you will 
much from which you can derive information. 

I did not intend to say so much, for others you 
are nearer and dearer to, are watching me with 
eager desire for me to desist, so I say 1'aivwell. 
Given at your own home— to meet again. 

C. B. PAB80WS. 

Then was written: "Well, Sam., you do not 
know how full my heart is to-night. If you do 
not forget how much 1 appreciate your character 
and worth, and devotion and kindness to my dear 
child, you will not be surprisedat my great joy to 
express my feelings now and at all times. 1 never 
could decline to thank you, Sam., for all this; 



292 COMMUNICATION FKOM ALLEN DUPREE. 

you were so kind to me and mine ; yes, I love yon 
now more than ever, and you certainly do feel 
that I watch over you, advise you through my 
influence, for you do things my way sometimes. 
I like to see things done up right, or not at all. 
This you do know, I believe, and carry out to the 
letter here just as I did while on earth. We have 
much to do here, which requires promptness and 
a willing heart. There are none here but those 
who love the Father, and delight to do his will at 
his bidding. 

My wife is anxious to say, Sammy, I want you to 
think: of me, as you always did. There is so much 
love here among the inhabitants of this country, 
that I believe the longer one is here, the stronger 
their affections are. Think of me, sometimes, 
Sammy, will you 1 Betsey has said all she has to 
say (you know she never was a great talker), and 
I will say a little more. You, my dear Sammy, 
expect to take leave of home and loved ones in a 
few hours, but don't suffer one thought to annoy 
you about yours or their safety ; you must put 
your trust in God, and he will protect and bless 
you. Yours is a tedious and hazardous journey, 
but resolution and a desire to see and learn some- 
thing more of God's universe, buoys or strengthens 
you on. I will say more to you in some other 
place, if you will only give me a chance. I won't 
make any promises of how much or how little I 
say, but one thing sure, I will say enough to let 
you know it is Allen Dupree. 

Several communications were written; I will 
make only short extracts from three. Bro. Allen 
says: 

u Do you ever see my family? If you do not, 
for the love we cherished for each other, go to see 
them when you come home. Tell them all together, 



D. J. ALLEN AND W. T. ANDERSON. 293 

that I have said this much to you, I want them to 
be good and treat everybody well, and to Willie, 
to be a good man ; he will never regret doing this. 
I have more to say, but can't say all to-night. 
May God bless you, is my prayer. 

David J. Alle.x.*' 

My wife says: "The hour is well-nigh spent, 
but I have not much to say to-night, Samuel, but 
the children want me to say to you not to get 
scared, for they think you will be. I do not know 
what to say, but you must put your trust in Him 
who will take care of you at all times. You will 
call on Mansfield, in New York, and there you 
can get something from any one you may desire. 
Will you go?' 1 

Rev. W. T Anderson concluded by saying : 

" We have safd all we can to-night ; you have 
done all you could, and be resigned to thy sepa- 
ration for a few weeks, at least." 

These brief messages afforded me much comfort 
as I whirled through the streets, amid the dark- 
ness, to the depot for New York. Before sailing, I 
called on Dr. Mansfield, as I had been directed, 
and without informing him of what had occurred 
with me in regard to it, I entered, folded this several 
times, well sealed: u Will Dr. Tho's E. Bond, 
with whom I had the controversy in the St. Louis 
Christian Advocate, about the old dock, give me 
a communication? Sam'l. Watsoht. 

Dr. Thos. E. Bond's communications: 
" Thanks, thanks, dear Brother, for this notice ; 
I blush to speak at this time, for it recalls past 

doings and sayings, although honesi ones, yet 1 

now see L was wrong, and you was right. You 
steadily pursued the conviction of your soul, and 
to-day Sam' L Watson lives, and will, when Bond 

and will be forgotten. Could 1 bu1 



294 DR. THOS. E. BOND. 

return to earth again, I would not only retract all 

I said derogatory to the old (here a figure of 

the clock was drawn) that struck, but go hand 
in hand in your work in man's redemption from 
error. Thos. E. Bond." 

I then wrote, sealing and folding as before, 
"Has Dr. Bond any advice to give me as to my 
future course on the subject of Spiritualism?" 

When was written: " Br o. Watson, you need 
no advice from me ; your advisers are spirits of a 
higher order than one who fought against light ; 
had I but acted up to my convictions years ago, 
I should have been termed, or classed, a heretic, 
too, but fearing to depart from the old beaten 
track of the discipline, I tried to believe that it 
was not safe to stray from it, therefore, I took the 
steps I did toward the light to which you surely 
have. Parsons did not cover his light, nor did 
Olin and the Wesleys ; they will not only advise 
you, but will instruct you in your future doings. 
If, at any time, you think I am worthy and capable 
of advising you, it will give me pleasure to do so. 
Say to Mrs. Watson not to doubt, but have confi- 
dence in all she is called to do ; we are with her. 

Your brother, Thos. E. Bond." 

"Will Dr. Stephen Olin give me advice as to my 
duty in regard to Spiritualism % S. W." 

This was folded as the others, twelve or thirteen 
folds, and sealed with mucilage. 

" This is more than I had expected or hoped 
for. Bro. Fisk came for me, and informed me 
you was calling for your friends, and desired me 
to be in readiness in case you did solicit either 
him or me. Bro. Watson, I feel honored by this 
call from you ; would that I was capable of advis- 
ing you on that most of all important sut ject. 
Really, Brother, I need to be instructed. But allow 



DR. STEPHEN OLIN, DR. WILDER FISK. 295 

me to say, you are in angels' hands and keeping. 
Yon need not have any fear for the future, you 
only have to heed your impressions; they never 
deceive you. Would you be advised as to your 
European tour, call upon, and advise with, J udge 
John W. Edmonds ; he will not only post you in 
all important particulars, but will give you Letters 
that will greatly assist you abroad. We then want 
you to call on Mr. A. J. Davis, and make his 
acquaintance ; you will never regret it. 1 will go 
with you over the deep blue sea. Your Bro., 

Stephen Olin." 

I then wrote: u Will Dr. Wilber FisK write me 
anything he may see proper. S. Watson." 

" My dear Watson : As Bro. Olin has just re- 
marked, 'this is more than I had expected. 3 1 have, 
with pleasure, witnessed your doings since you 
left the bonds of the church ; not that you ignored 
much of the teachings, yet you behold a greater 
Light than the church has, as yet, ever reflected; 
and, true to your convictions of right and duty, 
you stood out from the church, and dared to pro- 
claim what you knew to be truth. Brother, fear not, 
even though you may be persecuted, you will rise 
above all, and triumphantly lend our church into 
greener pastures than ever they have fed : you 
are doing your duty, and what is more satisfacto- 
ry you feel the evidence within. You are doing 
right, as Brother Olin says, and we will go with 
you. Your Brother, WlLBEB FiflK." 

I then asked: ''Will Rolfe Bldridge, who died 
in Arkansas, write to his wife, and give tests as to 

his identity and comfort to her P' 
"Bless you, bless you, my dear Samuel : I 

know you will not scold me. 1 would ik>i take 

this time, was Mr. Bldridge present to control; 

but in his absence, 1 come to say a word of cl 



296 MOLLIE, JUDGE EDMONDS. 

to you and Ellen. Bless her willing and, at times, 
doubting, heart ; for even that she will allow us 
to use her organism. She will be to you, Samuel, 
all in all ; say to her, be passive, write what she 
is impressed to write ; she will never be deceived. 
Well, dear one , you are going among other peo- 
ple altogether. You will speak in London, so be 
prepared to give them your experience ; they will 
be not only interested, but practical thinkers. 
Your Mollie." 

I went immediately to Judge Edmonds' resi- 
dence, at 71 "Irving Place," and found he had 
already written letters of introduction and com- 
mendation to five of his friends in London. The 
next morning, I called on Mr. Davis, and at noon 
sailed on the Canada for Liverpool. I delivered 
only one of these letters, but that was sufficient 
for all practical purposes. 

After I left New York, he wrote the following 
letter to Mr. Burns, the editor and publisher of 
the Medium and Daybreak, published in London : 

A DISTINGUISHED AMERICAN VISITOE. 

Mr. J. Burns — Dear Sir. — Yesterday I gave 
to the Rev. Samuel Watson, of Tennessee, letters 
of introduction to you and others of our friends 
in London. He sails for England to-morrow, and 
I feel that I ought not to be content with the formal 
w r ords of an introduction, but that I ought to in- 
form you, and through you our friends in general, 
the particular claims he has to our regard and 
confidence. 

When, some twenty years ago. Spiritualism 
was spreading with great rapidity in our North- 
ern States, its progress at the South was very 
slow, owing, as I supposed, to the state of socie- 
ty which slavery had engendered, and which 



JUDGE EDMONDS' LETTER. 297 

caused the people to fear the loss of caste if they 
should show any inclination towards a cause 
which then attracted so much ridicule and denun- 
ciation. I communed with the spirits on the sub- 
ject, to see if no remedy could be found for this 
state of things in the slave States, and I received 
an assurance that when the impending contest 
was over, and slavery was abolished, the progres - 
of our cause would be more rapid in that section 
of our country. Since the termination of the con- 
test, in 1866, I have watched with intense interest 
for the fulfillment of this prophecy. I have, to 
be sure, seen that during the last five or six 
years the progress lias been more rapid at the 
South than it was before and during the war : but 
I saw little or no sign of that rapidity which had 
characterized the movement with us at the earlier 
period. At length, however, the time has conic, and 
mainly through the instrumentality of this Dr. 
Watson. He is a man of education and position 
in society, and independent in his circumstances. 
He is a minister in the Methodist Church, which 
is by far the most numerous sect of Christians in 
that part of the country, and for over thirty years 
he had given his services gratuitously to his 
church. He has served as a preacher and as edi- 
tor of their religious paper, and acquired a decid- 
edly high standing, not only in his religious 
denomination, but in society at large. 

For some fifteen or eighteen years past, his at- 
tention has been drawn to the subject of spiritual 
intercourse, and in company with Bomeof the first 
men in his vicinity, he lias Investigated the sub- 
ject, and has been outspoken in his convictions <»i 
its reality. At length he made up his mind that 
more was due from him than merely the expres- 
sion of an opinion. Accordingly, about a year 
ago la' came on from Memphis, Tennessee, t«» this 



298 JUDGE EDMONDS 7 LETTER. 

city to publish a book upon the subject. He 
consulted me about it, and delighted me with his 
honest, frank and manly deportment in the mat- 
ter. About the first of July of last year, his book 
came out. You have seen it noticed under the 
name of "The Clock Struck One." It immedi- 
ately made a stir in his church, and after a series 
of transactions, which he can relate to you better 
than I can, the controversy resulted in severing 
the connection between him and his old associa- 
tions. In the meantime, the controversy awaken- 
ed very general attention to the subject. Three 
editions of his book have already been disposed 
of, and more are constantly called for. He has 
published another work — a small pamphlet called 
" The Clock Struck Two," and his correspondence 
has come in great quantity from all parts of the 
Union ; and at the South has at length, and through 
his instrumentality, come that lively interest in 
our cause which was promised to us some fifteen 
years ago. 

I have watched his whole progress since we first 
became acquainted last summer, and have not 
only seen how fearlessly and manfully he has 
stood up for what he believed to be the truth, but 
have observed with unfeigned delight the good 
sense which has kept him away from all fanati- 
cism, and the sagacity which has enabled him to 
come out of the contest triumphantly. And now, 
after a year' s troublesome controversy, he seeks 
rest for a while at a distance. He leaves matters 
in an admirable condition, and I trust he will find 
among Spiritualists in England, that kind regard 
and attention which he so richly deserves at our 
hands. 

I do not write this for publication, though you 
may do as you see fit in that respect, but I do 
write it in the hope that you will make known the 



THE RECEPTION. 

facts I mention to our friends generally ; and I 
remain, as ever, truly yours, J. \V. Edmonds. 

New York, June 20, 1873. 

[Dr. Watson called on ns on his arrival in Eng- 
land. He is now on a continental tour, and is 
expected in London on August L9th, which is 
Tuesday evening next, when a social gathering 
will be held at the Spiritual Institution, to meet 
Dr. Watson and accord him hearty fellowship, as 
suggested by Judge Edmonds. We hope he may 
also attend the picnic on the following day.— 
Ed. M.] 

I found, on my return from the continent, a 
public meeting had been called to give me a recep- 
tion at the Spiritual Institution. I copy a part of 
the proceedings, as they may be of interest to sonic. 

showing how Americans are received in that gnat 
metropolis : 

RECEPTION GIVEN AT THE SPIRITUAL [NSTTTUTION, 
LONDON, TO 'UIK REV. SAMUEL WATSON, D. I>.. 
MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE. 

On Tuesday evening, a nice little parly of the 
friends of Spiritualism assembled at the Spiritual 
Institution, 1.") Southampton Row, t<> meet Dr. 
Watson, prior to his return to America. The 
company embraced manv who were either Ameri- 
cans, or had been in that country, so that the guest 
ofthe evening fell amongst friends in more res] 
than oik'. The agreeable social intercourse with 
which the evening opened was Interrupted by the 
calling of Dr. Sexton to the chair, that the more 
formal proceedings might be commenced without 
delay. The chairman introduced Dr. Watson, 
who! thereupon, immediately addressed the 
nmetiiiL:. 

Dr. Watson commenced by expressing his 



300 DR. WATSON'S REMARKS. 

pleasure at meeting so many friends in that free, 
easy, social manner. He had been assured by 
friends in spirit-life, that much of the enjoyment 
of those in the higher state proceeded from such 
occupations. He had been a Methodist preacher, 
and he considered that evening's exercises as a 
spiritual class meeting. The best place to exam- 
ine into Spiritualism was at the quiet family circle. 
It was probable that there was a medium for every 
family in the world, if the faculty were persistent- 
ly sought for. This year, in Louisiana, two of his 
family had been developed as very good mediums 
at a domestic circle. He named a lady who had 
sat fourteen times before she got any manifestation, 
and yet now, through her mediumship, spirit- 
friends could show their materialized forms in 
broad daylight, and converse with the sitters. 
With himself and wife at a table, he had been able 
to obtain demonstrations of the most satisfactory 
kind. The spirit of a deceased wife could post 
them up at home as to his wanderings, and those 
left behind were quite easy and contented under 
the circumstances, sustained, as they were, by 
information thus conveyed. Morse's telegraph 
was a grand invention, but the spiritual telegraph 
went not only all over this world, but to heaven, 
also. The spirits themselves rejoiced over the 
opening up of this communion. In America, its 
success had been more glorious than was recorded 
in the history of any church or movement. We 
must be liberal in our views, recognizing the im- 
mortality of the soul, and eternal progress in the 
Spirit-world, but dealing charitably with those 
who could not see exactly with us. All had errors, 
which it was their life-work to drop one by one. 
Taking up an umbrella and expanding it, the doc- 
tor said men's differences were like the points 
round the edge of the umbrella, but they all met 



Mr. burns' remarks. 301 

at the top. He hoped the time was not far dis- 
tant, when this glorious truth would fill the whole 
earth. 

The chairman intimated that he would be glad 
to hear any remarks from those present. 

Mr. Burns, of the Spiritual Institution, said he 
rose at that early part of the proceedings, as lie 
had more acquaintance with the gentleman they 
met to honor than the others had. Dr. Watson 
had not spoken at all of his own personal sacri- 
fices in connection with Spiritualism. Be had 
been reading u The Clock Struck ( >ne," and found 
that its author had had to contend with very much 
opposition in his defense of Spiritualism. Some- 
how, the speaker said, he was more drawn to 
those who suffered for truth, than those who gained 
riches and honor by it. There were plenty ready 
to accept good things either for truth or error, bnt 
few cared to make themselves uncomfortable on 
account of truth, lie would rather be Jesus in 
the Garden weeping tears of Mood, and apparent- 
ly deserted by both heaven and earth, if he did ><» 
for the truth's sake, than he would be the chosen 
of the rabble, the pet of priests, or the mouthpiece 
of kings. He thought that those like himself were 
in the habit of anaerestimating the sacrifices of 
gentlemen who had descended from honorable 
sociable positions for the sake of Spiritualism. 
Their guest was one of those few devoted souls. 

He had turned his hack OB his church, with which 

he had been so Long connected, and relinquished 
all that is supposed to be worth having in society. 

Such noble conduct was worthy of Study, that OUT 
good resolutions might !>•' strengthened and the 
weak aided in their efforts t<» do their duty. 

The Rev. A. K. MacSorley said he entertained 
a very high regard torthe position taken by Dr. 
Watson. Asa clergyman of the Church i 



302 MR. SHORTER' S RESOLUTION. 

land, he knew what it was to bear the brunt of 
popular censure, and he could assure the meeting 
that he did not at all enjoy suffering, but would 
rather avoid it if he could. He gave a variety of 
instances of spirit-communion, which ought to 
convince all reasonable men, and passed a high 
eulogy on the character and labors of Judge Ed- 
monds, whom he thanked from the bottom of his 
heart for the good he had derived from a perusal 
of his writings on Spiritualism. 

Mr. Thomas Shorter, editor of the Spiritual 
Magazine, then proposed the following resolu- 
tion : "That we give a hearty greeting to the Rev. 
Dr. Watson, of America, and beg to offer him our 
sincere sympathy in the sufferings he has had to 
undergo in the cause of Spiritualism, and to ex- 
press our earnest wish that he may long be spared 
and blessed with health, to carry out his future 
intentions to promulgate the glorious truth of 
spirit- communion." He was at all times glad to 
welcome a brother from America, from which 
country we had derived so much in connection 
with Spiritualism ; but the fact that Dr. Watson 
came amongst them recommended by Judge Ed- 
monds, rendered the occasion of greater interest. 
He, however, heartily welcomed Dr. Watson on 
his own account, and particularly as he had been 
a sufferer for the cause, left his church, and sever- 
ed ties of many years' standing. Mr. Shorter 
regretted that the doctor' s stay was so brief, and 
that a larger number of friends could not have the 
pleasure of meeting him, but he looked forward 
to another visit, at a future time. He would 
remind their visiter, that the numbers who attended 
the meetings in this country did not, by any means, 
indicate the real advance of Spiritualism, as these 
people were not so prone to assemble themselves 
.together as their cousins on the other side of the 



MR. MONCK' S EXPERIENCE. 808 

ocean. In this country, the literature and private 

form of investigation were more largely inn 
yet he conceded that Spiritualism had 'made ad- 
vances in America which we had not at present 
reached. He was glad to welcome Dr. WatsOD 
from Tennessee, that State from which their friend, 
Dr. Ferguson, came, whose visit to this country, 
all who knew him remembered with pleasure. 

The Rev. F. W. Monck, in seconding the resol- 
ution, felt some degree of diffidence. He was, as 
yet, a novitiate, and unknown to most of those 
present. He felt an interest in the doctor, from 
the fact that he came from America, and, also, 
because he had passed through the fire, an ordeal 
which the speaker had himself experienced. Be 
felt that all who had a work laid out for them by 
the invisible God, were immortal till that work 
was accomplished, and no form of opposition 
could, till then, harm them. Mr. Monck gave 
some of his experiences in spirit-communion. 
Recently, he sat for spirit-photographs with Mr. 
Beattie and Mr. Tommy, at Bristol. He desired 
them all to join in wishing for the spirit he had 
in his mind. On the plate there came a female 
figure with one hand on his, and bending over 
him, as he did over the mortal remains of his wife 
that day six years. No one present knew that he 
had been thinking of his wife. He had always 
regarded the anniversary of death with much pain, 
but Spiritualism had so altered his views ana feel- 
ings, that he forgot the day. and had it recalled 
to him in the interesting manner above recorded. 
He said we ought to be jealous of Spiritualism, 
and retain it as a high and holy thing, and try to 
protect it from coarseness and defilement ll«' 
thought, by proper arrangements in the circle, the 
manifestations might much improve, and set aside 
the charge of trilling and unpleasantness which 



304 LUMINOUS WEITING. 

was sometimes urged against them. He warmly 
seconded the resolution. 

Mr. Everitt .rose to support the resolution. He 
hoped the Father of all would everywhere protect 
their guest, and that angel-friends would shower 
down blessings upon him. As an instance of 
rewarded perseverance, Mr. Everitt gave the expe- 
rience of Capt. Hunt, who had traveled much, 
and seen many mediums. He was repeatedly told 
that he would make a good medium himself, if 
he would sit forty times. At last he determined 
to try the experiment, and at much inconvenience, 
and amidst great opposition, he devoted from ten 
to twelve o'clock for the required number of 
nights, to sitting for development. As the allotted 
number of sittings passed on, his faith began to 
waver, for he had received no indication of suc- 
cess ; but on the last evening, during the last 
hour, and in tM^st quarter of an hour, he heard 
tiny raps, wh^jf -encouraged him to persevere, 
and at the time Mr. Everitt knew him, he enjoyed 
what he would not have lost for many more nights 
of waiting. That gentleman, in Mr. Everitt' s room, 
saw luminous writing, which he said would be 
given to them through Mrs. Everitt' s mediumship, 
and eighteen months afterwards, the prediction 
came to pass. JSTow, at every sitting, they had 
the lights and writing as described by that very 
extraordinary medium. 

Mr. Morse was controlled by his spirit-guide, 
" Tien- Sien- Tie," and in the trance said he em- 
braced that opportunity with great pleasure, and 
was glad to meet with one who had followed the 
plough of Spiritualism for so many years, and, 
through persecution, had at last achieved such a 
distinguished victory. International visits of that 
kind were of great importance. Each one brought 
with him his peculiar sphere, natural and spiritual, 



KEMARKS AT THE RECEPTION. 305 

which could exercise a distinct influence on others 
when their minds were excited to receive such 
impressions. Even simple social visits had a pro- 
found psycholigical value, but the one which they 
were at present honoring was of much more im- 
portance. The frivolity to be met with in Spiritual- 
ism, was sometimes due to the fact that spirits had 
to talk folly so as to reach the foolish. By im- 
proving themselves, men would be prepared for 
the reception of higher teachings. 

Mr. Ganney said he had lived some time in 
Kentucky, and recently had met an old friend 
from that region, and on asking him as to the state 
of Spiritualism, his friend said that it had been 
considerably promoted by a book called "The 
Clock Struck One." This was the work of Dr. 
Watson, and that simple incident showed that the 
doctor did not keep his light under a bushel. 
The speaker said there was an outcry- against the 
honesty of mediums, but he thought there was a 
great want of honesty in English society, for when 
people got to know the facts of Spiritualism, they 
endeavored to speak and act as if they knew 
them not. To such the doctor's example was 
instructive. 

Dr. Sexton said they had heard much from the 
gentlemen, and now he would be glad to have 
some remarks from the ladies. 

Mis. Berry acceded to the chairman' s good-hum- 
ored appeal, and expressed her pleasure at meeting 
Dr. Watson. She attended that meeting to con- 
gratulate the doctor on the position he had taken 
in respect to Spiritualism. 

The chairman then read the resolution, when it 
was carried with acclamation; and turning to I>r. 
Watson, Dr. Sexton conveyed to him, in the name 
of the meeting, the pleasure which it gave them to 
have the doctor as their guesl that evening. He 



306 LETTER THROUGH A LONDON MEDIUM. 

regretted that the visit was so short, but hoped 
that they would see him in this life yet again. He 
would be glad to see him at work on the platform 
of Spiritualism in this country, and he hoped Dr. 
Watson would be carried in safety to his home in 
America, and long live to engage in the work 
which he had assisted and honored by his co- 
operation. 

The meeting broke up very much satisfied with 
the evening's proceedings. Of all the many hap- 
py gatherings which have taken place at the Spir- 
itual Institution, that of Tuesday evening was one 
of the most memorable. 

After this meeting adjourned, a lady (a clair- 
voyant) who was born in New Orleans, came to me 
and said that my wife, calling her name, had 
showed herself to her, and conversed with her 
while there. Two or three days after this, just 
as I was leaving London for Edinburg, on my way 
home, I received a letter from her stating that my 
wife had written the enclosed letter to me, and 
that she thought, from the care she used in con- 
trolling her hand, she was trying to write in her 
own handwriting. If she had been living, and I 
had received the letter by mail, I should never 
have doubted but that she wrote it with her own 
hand. I copy the letter : 

My Deae Husband.— I am with you ever, 
watching over you with fondest love. Ever seek 
me in spirit and you will feel my presence, for our 
souls commune with each other. We spirits cling 
to those we have loved on earth, and when we see 
answering feelings of love, of fondest remembrance, 
our souls are delighted, and we cling closer, try- 
ing to absorb all the dear nature into love, not only 
for ourselves, but all things ; our lives above are 
lives of love ; love everywhere makes the beauty. 



UNIVERSAL WORSHIP. 307 

the glory, of our supernal homes ; thus we wish 
our friends on earth to live, and all their earthly 
abodes will blossom into a new beauty. We, spir- 
its, will gather closer, and earth and heaven would 
become one. The time will be when we shall be 
seen in your midst, and hold audible communi- 
cations with you ; but before that blissful period 
arrives, the world of men must become purified 
by the waters of Spiritualism. Those blessed 
truths unfolded in the bosom of the celestial 
church now descending on this planet, in which 
all nations will join in one worship, knowing God 
as He is, not as He has been represented in the 
mistaken teachings of the past. 

How my heart rejoices that you, my dearest 
husband, know of these glorious truths, and are 
receiving communications to instruct, console and 
rejoice your soul. My own happiness is increased 
thereby. 

I wish much you could have lingered longer 
here, to have communed with me through this 
dear country woman of ours, whose blood rela- 
tions are scattered throughout the length and 
breadth of her beloved country. The beautiful 
ones watching over her are, some of them, Ameri- 
cans, and she will have more too ; they draw me 
with such strong bonds of love, that i must cer- 
tainly visit them again, of which I shall inform 
you in America, through our own dear medium. 
Thus we love to establish those cords of affection 
in the Spirit-world, and from thence to earth. I 
am anxious to quit the medium, to return to you. 
No more at present. From your loving 

Mol.l ! : 

This was written soon after my return home: 
Dear Samuel. -You are always conscious as to 

the presence of one who always feels a dr.-p inter- 
est in you and all my loved on earth, but when 



308 mollie's communication. 

alone and needing one to watch over you, I am 
especially your watching one, and I come to be 
a comfort to you, and a guard in your sleeping 
hours, when, perhaps, you are not aware of my 

fresence ; but my efforts to make myself visible, 
hope, do not fail, for I come with my little force. 
Strange as it may be to you, they assist me to do 
my work. Did you not know this, Samuel, when 
I, with the children, visited you while in the great 
city of the world, London % I think you did real- 
ize my presence, if not presence, my influence, for 
it was the greatest effort since I have been an 
inhabitant of this country ; I wish I could talk to 
you, not by writing with pencil and paper, but 
come right square up to you as I tried to do. We 
are not always satisfied as to the result of our 
efforts, but would like to know from you if you 
saw me, or any of us, to your satisfaction. Pa 
and ma tried very hard to make themselves known 
to you, for they wanted to see you face to face. 
A host of friends were with you in London, and 
elsewhere, and an army encamped about you, 
for you were in a stranger land, and not even 
aware of the loved and dear ones who watched 
and guarded your footsteps in your many wan- 
derings. MOLLIE. 



309 



CHAPTER XL 



Communications from Dr. Bond, A. Dupree, 
W. T. Anderson, Author of Jteview; Br. Mc- 
Mahon, his Daughter, and Mollie. 



"Mr. Watson, Mrs. Watson is watching the 
symptons of a sick child — her daughter s child. 
("9th Sept.)." 

Ques. Do you know what is being done in Lon- 
don, on this subject? 

Ans. I watch the progress of it more in our own 
country than there in London, but know thev 
are much further advanced than you are, sir, and 
can do more to astonish any one; I have Been 
more things performed which astounded my mind, 
which I had thought had been fathomed to their 
depth. We are not astonished at what we, in this 
life, do, but one thing that does astonish us is, 
that so many reject the truth of these thiiiL 

"Mr. Watson, there is some one present with 
me who wishes to talk some with you now, if you 
desire him to do so. Do you P 5 

A. Yes. 

" He says he was a preacher." 

"Well, dear Brother Watson, T (hurt think 
you will object to my calling you brother, fori 
feel that no name can be more expressive than 
dear brother, though our kind Sistei Watson may 

say, as she lias said, that brothers should hold no 

controversy. Well, 1 agree with her, and am done 
particularly with you, for von are too Christian- 



310 CHRISTIANITY AND SPIRITUALISM. 

like to feel any wrath towards me, who did treat 
you quite harshly. [I replied, I forgive it all.] 
Well, just like you ; you always forgive and for- 
get. If you can not think of me, I will no longer 
have these preliminaries. Your brother acknowl- 
edges his great error on earth. Bond. 

" I am now prepared to appreciate your hones- 
ty, but must say, I scorned your views while there, 
but not because I was unwilling to adhere to the 
truth, but I then thought you an enthusiast. I 
don't think so now. If you were an enthusiast, 
you had a cause for it, and it is to be regretted 
that there are so few of them on earth. The world 
is covered by a mantle, and there is power just 
ready to lift it, when a perfect consent is given, 
and the public mind yielding, and ere long the 
mantle will be entirely erased, and, 0, such a 
glorious truth revealed." 

Q. Please give me your views now in regard 
to Spiritualism and Christianity. 

A. They are not so widely different. I think 
one, when viewed in the light the Bible affords, 
aids the other. But Christianity is in itself inde- 
pendent of Spiritualism, but the latter can be 
enjoyed to move in connection with the former. I 
think the latter can be a stepping-stone to the 
other, at ieast ; I think they blend beau tif ally, 
when viewed as I am impressed with the teachings 
of the Bible. Spiritualism is nothing more than 
an attendant on Christianity. 

Q. Do you feel that you would wish to write 
something for publication on this subject? 

A. I do not, Brother Watson ; as yet I am but 
an infant in this new life, and would rather be 
better prepared by wisdom obtained, before I 
present this subject to the world. 

Q. "Will you come and write through this 
medium \ 



SPIRITUAL BODY. 311 

A. Yes, any time I am permitted to do so. 

Q. Did you find the Spirit-world as yon 
expected ! 

A. No, not as I expected. 

Q. Have you a spiritual body ? 

A. I have a spiritual body, sanctified and 
made holy like my God ; not as perfect as he 
would have me, but I am striving to obtain it. 
We have to work to the attainment of this holi- 
ness of heart. I can realize a great change in my 
heart, but it will never rest till the change is so 
great as to afford purest love. I can not enter 
into this very largely ; indeed, I can not gratify 
you to-night. Your brother, T. E. Bond. 

" Samuel, I have been wanting to give yon n wel- 
come to your home several times. 1 have strayed 
off from my folks ; in fact, I can't keep np with 
them; some in one place, and others in another; 
thus we go on to our different places of duty ; we 
know nothing of labor or fatigue or inclination to 
shrink from duty, for what we do here is only a 
pleasure and happy task, and the more we are 
kept occupied, the happier our home here is. 
You know something of what it is to work tor 
Jesus, while on earth ; so did I, but nothing like 
yon, Sammy ; but now I find great pleasure in 
doing his service. 

"Mollie is devoting her time to watching the 

movements Of her children : she is VBTV BOHcitoUS 
at this time; so are you. She can't stay in one 
place; she comes, and is off again, she said she 
tried to make you know her in London, and she 
thinks she did." 

Q. Will you tell me something of the world 
you live in i 

A. Sammy, you are not prepared to hear, or 
anyone else, in regard to this world we inhabit; 



312 VIEWS OF CHRISTIANITY. 

you are better prepared to appreciate what we say, 
than many others, but still you are doubtful. It 
will not be very long, Sammy, till you can see 
and believe for yourself, what is here and what are 
our pursuits. It is enough to say that we are 
very happy here, and that enjoyment depends on 
our course of living and acting. We are only good 
in works of love and mercy for our Redeemer. 
Sammy, you are very happy when communicat- 
ing with us, and we know your feelings and do 
appreciate them ; if I could, I would show myself 
to you both, but there is not one in Memphis from 
whom I could draw an influence or power, and 
we cannot do it ourselves. 

Q. Are your views of Christianity the same 
as when here? 

A. In some respects I could have been profit- 
ted and enjoyed the plan from which I learned 
the way, and that was good and secured for me 
my inheritance ; but there is certainly an attend- 
ant now which greatly benefits and helps us, or 
you, on the way. We, while there, did not com- 
mune with saints, which is to you a deep source 
of strength and aid, crowding blessings, like 
showers, upon your way. A. Dupree. 

"Well, Brother Watson, kind sir and dear 
brother, I hail you a hearty welcome, since your 
return from the old world. We watched, guard- 
ed and directed your wanderings, and stayed, 
as far as we could, the destroying hand which 
might have blighted your prospects and crippled 
your highest aspirations. 

"I was with you, Brother Watson, the night, 
or one night, while in the great emporium of the 
world, London, and was gratified to see and hear 
your intercourse with Dr. Bond. Oh, how my 
heart wells up with joy, when I see one who was 



C. B. parsons' COMMUNICATION. 313 

so far from believing in the truth as you do, come 
to the point of acknowledgment, and to make his 
vows of confession to you and begged to be t"< »r- 
given. He is far happier, he says, since he did, 
nor was he happy until he did this ; nor are any 
of us, if we do any injury to anyone, and do not 
ask his forgiveness. Dr. Bond loves you very 
dearly, and honors your very name, and will let 
you hear from him often. 

"I have gotten the consent of my friends here, 
since you have my name and requested me to 
write, to say something, but, Brother Watson, 
you must know we are iimited in time here very 
often, owing to the multiplicity of our duties ; we 
are pressed with errands of mercy and good deeds, 
so that we must sometimes neglect the accomplish- 
ment of one object, to secure another; we still 
perform our respective positions. God's call to 
the office of minister does not close as life does, 
but it is extended into this life, but we do not lie- 
come fatigued here as we did while on earth ; we 
work for the promotion of the good cause as we 
used to ; we have glorious meetings, sometimes ; 
there is much to do, and many glorious results. 
We rejoice at all times to see the cause prosper 
on earth. I would like, sir, to write more, bui 1 
would prefer you to call some other time. 

C. B. Parsons." 

"Dear Daughter. — The time lias been long 
since we have enjoyed this privilege, but the more 
appreciated. I directed this to you, hut only 

because you are the medium for communication. 

I will be glad to say anything, at anytime, to your 
husband, Brother Watson. I will be glad to snow 
that you are desirous to hear from us. and shall 
also be gratified to announce through this chan- 
nel, my grateful and Loving emotions of my heart 



314 SPIRITUALISM AND CHRISTIANITY. 

to one so kind and good to those to me so tender- 
ly allied. We are blessed with natures purified and 
refined, sensitive to a favor, but not to a fault ; 
the latter is earthy. I do live to watch you and feel 
a security in my conscience that you are fully 
protected, still I administer many times to you. 
Ellen, do try to live for Jesus, and insure for your- 
self an inheritance beyond the earth. Say to Ma- 
ry — Let her light shine ; to your ma — Be patient 
in suffering. I will bless you and direct you, 
Brother Watson, as far as I can. Good night. 
Your pa, W. T. Anderson. 

" Spiritualism goes hand in hand with Christi- 
anity. Neither would do so much as it does, 
unless connected with Christianity ; the latter 
needs the former to assist the subject ; it is cer- 
tainly very comfortable, and there could be no one 
so happy without it ; the latter is some help to 
the other. The kind of doctrine you have deliv- 
ered, is hard to believe by a great many, but the 
day is fast approaching when there will not be one 
left to deny the truth of it, from the least to the 
greatest ; all will accept it, and the world will be 
changed. It has always harmonized my feelings, 
and I never knew what depths of love and mercy 
could be bestowed upon earth' s mortals ; but I 
now realize its full joys and hallowed influence. 
Everything called Spiritualism is not it, but a 
spiritism called by some. I regret that many are 
deceived in this, but it is so, and those who are 
living in darkness now, will awaken to the light 
some day." 

Q. Have you found Christianity to be true ? 

A. I would, if on earth, drop some ideas I 
advanced while there, for I see no good result to 
issue from them. 

Q. Is not the church the best place to prepare 
for another world ? 



SPIRITS CONSTANTLY ACTIVE. 315 

A. I think it is. 

I am in active life. No lazy Christian spirits 
here; we have a great work to perform. It is a 
vastly mistaken idea with some stupid people on 
the earth-plane, that their exit is for a state of 
sweet and blissful repose — to sing forever the sw< set 
songs of Zion, and lean on the breast of Jesu- ; 
this would not be a place of such happiness, if 
such were the case. Man, after death, is a more 
natural being than you would suppose— he brings 
with him the natural elements of man, but sancti- 
fied and refined by the influence surrounding him. 
which is of God, and could not be otherwise. We 
are actively engaged in working for Him who 
redeemed us, and the happier for the opportunity 
of doing it. All have not the same missions, but 
various ones, all tending to the same good and 
great end. 

Now, don't you think you could bevery hap 
y here, Ellen ? Try to get here, and 1 can insure 
or you a happy home. Your pa, 

W. T. Andersob 

From the Author of the Review of Clock Struck 
One: 

"Dear Mb. Watson.— You will, no doubt, reel 
rejoiced to hear from me ami Eugenia. We art' 
most certainly in a world of spirits, and are not 
ourselves as we were while on earth, in many 
respects, but are realizing changes tending to 
purity of heart, being fitted for our new and hap- 
py exists me. We are surely in a new world. 
Having passed through the darksome valley, we 
are now in the beaming and glorious radiance 
reflected from the [mage or character of God. I 
have not seen, bui have been influenced by the 
presence of his dear spirit ; we can exclaim in one 
accord: 'All our troubles <>Yr. We do feel a 



316 SIMPLICITY OF SPIRIT COMMUNION. 

deep and parental emotion for onr little ones, but 
we do feel that we can guard and protect them 
still ; we are with them much. There is no solici- 
tude felt by us that brings with it any sorrow or 
grief ; we are fresh plants in this kingdom, tender 
and must be nurtured by Divine grace and wis- 
dom ; we are weak, but our strength comes from 
the fountain ; we are too prone to our self-reliance, 
but we shall see more than ever the necessity of 
looking to, and depending upon, God our Savior. 
"I know your great anxiety to hear much from 
me ; I must confess that I was ignorant, and 
denied myself much real joy, when I held no 
intercourse with those in this life. I only knew 
in part, what I now know, feel, and can testify to 
the world: the truth of spiritual communion. Why, 
Mr. Watson, it is very simple, not any deep, 
unfathomable mystery to be solved, if the human 
mind would but grasp it, and try to gather some- 
thing from it. I regret that my happiness was 
rendered less complete, by treating the subject 
somewhat indifferently, until the interest was 
aroused by your production. I have said nor 
written no more than I want the world to see and 
read, but might and shall say more from my new 
locality. You, no doubt, have had many com- 
munications from friends here, and there is not 
much for me to reveal, and if you never heard 
from me, you have many very satisfactory state- 
ments. I shall, however, when I've had a more 
extensive knowledge of my new world, communi- 
cate with you. Now, do not become impatient. 
Eugenia is here with me, and can only regret that 
we can not say all they want to, but we will con- 
tinue to write and impress you, if able. No more 
to-night." 



COMMUNICATION FROM KEY. MCMAIIOX. 317 

From Rev. Wm. McMahon, D. D., the oldest 
minister of the Mempliis Conference, and one of 
the most talented and useful men in the M. E. 
Church South : 

"My Dear Brother in Christ and Sox Sam. 
— This is my first time in the attempt to write 
through a medium, but several times my influ- 
ence, I know, has been felt. I have, dear brother, 
fought the good tight of faith : I finished my 
course, and am throwing off the feebleness of 
earth-life infirmities, and enjoying that which I so 
long lived and labored for. I am in my beautiful 
and glorious home on high, where there is no sor- 
row, pain, nor fear of death. This, my dear broth- 
er, is my reward, and yours to be attained by 
constant labor and discharge of duty. You have 
done a faithful work, and are still doing a very 
difficult and unappreciated work by a great many. 
Others could and would cheerfully co- operate and 
enlist were they bold enough, but the world must 

be invigorated by little droppings of water. The 

world is dry and parched from inattention, and its 
soil is failing from neglect If 1 could only Bpread 
the news abroad. I would ever preach the doctrine 
you teach. I would not be ashamed. 1 can 
influence any one now and then. I feel that 1 do 
a good work. 

" We are always at work in the business of this 
life. We see now wherein we aeglected our duty. 
I do wish I could speak my mind freely to you, 
but can not now as 1 want to be more compoe 
This is an effort for me to-night. 

(}. Do you know anything of the book [have 
published i 

A. Oyes, [ recall it to memory, and must saj ii 
I were on earth I would call it a strange work; 
but lam more enlightened now, and cao under- 
stand and appreciate it. 



318 OLD FRIENDS TOGETHER. 

Q. Have you seen your wife ? 

A. She was first to conduct me to my new 
home. 

We have houses or homes made by spiritual 
hands, and God is the founder ; we dwell in them, 
but are not often in them, as we are going all the 
time. 

Q. Do you believe now as you did here ? 

A. Could not believe differently than I was first 
taught by the inspired Word of &od. There are 
many things in the Bible we construe differently 
to the meaning they are intended to convey ; but 
after all, it is our guide. All one church here 
and worship and glorify the same dear Savior. 

Wm. McMahon. 

Mollie Watson and Mary McMahon. 

Dear Samuel. — I have met Mr. McMahon since 
you were conversant with him, and he tells me 
what enjoyment and what a privilege he consider- 
ed it was to talk with you once more. My reply 
was, that I had been blessed frequently in that 
respect, but that I always regarded it as one of 
God's highest favors. We feel our nothingness 
in the presence of the surrounding influence of 
God spread about us, and we feel a deeper sense of 
reverence than we did, or could, feel while inhab- 
itants of earth- sphere. Mary, my old friend, came 
to ask an accompaniment of myself to you to- 
night. She will, no doubt, speak for herself, as 
she never hesitates to be her own representative. 
We are very courteous with each other, and of 
course, she will wait till I am through. She is 
much interested in your present undertaking, and 
no doubt, she and her dear father will assist you. 
Samuel, I will declare to you what you do not 
really know, that you are impressed, guided and 
directed more than you are aware in your under- 



SUFFERINGS ALL OVER. 319 

taking ; you have more talent cognizant of your 
movements than one would suppose ; you must 
implore their assistance, and manifest, also, an 
appreciation of their favor. 

We are, for we could not be otherwise, proud of 
what you are about to present to the public gaze 
and criticism. Be prayerful and careful ; our 
Heavenly Father will bless and sanctify your 
efforts. Continue, my dear Samuel, and you will 
be rewarded. Heaven bless you — God bless you 
— is my wish. Mollie. 

Brother Samuel Watson — My Dear old 
Friend and Brother. — I feel as though I would 
never be much happier than I am at tne moment 
I am permitted to relate to you the bliss of my 
heavenly home — name dearer than all others. I 
have toiled, suffered and denied myself while on 
earth, to reach this hapjyv place. It is worth it 
all to me, or to any one. I have no feebleness of 
health or strength, or physical imbecility, but am 
strengthened by Divine grace to prosecute my 
duties here. My dear Father regards his privi- 
lege as a very great one, and will certainly embrace 
it quite often. He is with you very often, and if 
you do not watch, he will be troublesome, if it 
could be so. We are gratified to read, or be aware 
of what you are preparing for the public. Father 
will talk, impress, and do all he can for the pro- 
gress of this undertaking. O, 1 wish I could 
pour forth volumes of strong and convincing proof 
of what we are capable of doing. Mai: v. 



320 



CHAPTER XII. 



Communications received February First with- 
out asking any questions, or for any person. 



" We think you are pretty nearly through, and 
as far as we have given cognizance, we think it a 
most excellent work, and if it does not stir up the 
mind to a train of thought and reflection, then the 
power of man' s testimony and influence will ac- 
complish but little in the good work. But we are 
confident of one thing, that its results will cause a 
powerful influence of rejoicing and praises in the 
world of spirits. 

We are watchful of the inklings of the wide- 
spreading truth of the heaven-born treasure which 
has only been concealed as under a bushel, wait- 
ing for the removal of that cover, that its light 
might only be the greater, and assist the workers, 
that they may execute with earnestness and 
promptness, the task laid out or intended for them. 

"Its pages will be an oasis in a desert wild ; its 
cooling shade may be imparted there to a poor 
careworn traveler who is thirsting for the cool- 
ing waterbrook, or some resting place. He has 
known there was a place promised, but he trod 
on ever looking to the time and conditions when he 
should enjoy what God had placed here for 
him. I have only alluded to this as a picture. 
There are many who are thirsting for knowledge 
which you can furnish, and its promises are the 



SOURCE OF author's knowledge: 32] 

shady resting in the desert wild, which is the 
earth-sphere." 

u Don't stop writing until yon are convinced or 
impressed (for yon will be), that your work is fin- 
ished ; I mean your book, for your work will never 
be ended until you enter this state where yon will 
emerge into something else, which will have its 
effect more mechanically. I don't think yon will 
accomplish as much as you will perceive after yon 
get here, after you have passed from your present 
state, for not until you do, will you be fully aware 
of what you were capable of doing." 

"Dear sir. you are still hampered, but we will 
not say how, but you are still in bondage, and can 
not, as yet, spread your wings and encircle the 
world by your influence, but it is increasing. Now 
don't permit what we say to exalt you too much, 
but I can furthermore say, that was it not for your 
meekness and humility of heart, we would not 
express our opinion of you as we have, bul we 
know you want to hear, but we must withhold 
our sig natures this time." 

" We are going to make, or try to make, a me- 
dium of you when you are through with that 
book." 

I embrace this occasion to say, once for all, 
that I do not claim to be author of this book. 
Most of it has been written by others; Borne in 
this, but nearly all of idem now in the other world. 
I have copied from others what 1 approved, some- 
times giving proper credit ; at other times 1 have 
not done so : sometimes, not knowing who really 
was the author of what 1 was willing to form part 
of what I was giving to the world again, on this 
subject. Even that portion ofitwritten by mvself, 
I am satisfied, has hem impressed apon m< I y an 
influence that I can not determine it- 1 



322 .WRITING MEDIUMSIIIP; 

think there is really but very little pure originali- 
ty these days. We are all subject to influences 
which, if we could understand, there would not 
be much to exalt any of us in the proper estima- 
tion of ourselves. 

The book, such as it is, has been prepared un- 
der a pressure of other duties and responsibilties 
which had claims upon my mind and time, which 
could not be ignored. Having been written at 
different times and places, I find some repitition 
of the same thoughts in somewhat different lan- 
guage. One of olden time, said he gave "line 
upon line and precept upon precept," for a pur- 
pose. It is not names or authors, but truth and 
principle, which will stand when time with all of 
us shall cease, and the glorious realities of the 
eternal world shall reveal our true character, rela- 
tions and destiny. 

Mr. Watson. — We still entertain the hope here, 
that you will yet become a good writing medium, 
but it is not to detract any part of the gift from 
your kind lady. We are now very anxious that 
you possess this quality, and will do all in our 
power to impart it to you, but should it not be 
allowed you, there will be nothing wrong about 
it. Yours truly, George Atkins. 

From an old and beloved friend : 

Brother Watson. — You will be much grati- 
fied to hear from me, and I shall be happy to 
answer any query you may propose, provided I 
am competent to do so. Now, dear Brother Wat- 
son, you know, and so do I, that there is much 
real good and genuine knowledge withheld from 
us for some unknown reason, still we are increas- 
ing our store and, of course, are wiser in things 
pertaining to this world and of a spiritual nature. 



Stephen's communication, 329 

We now feel no anxiety about worldly or natural 
subjects, only as we are prompted to correct 
by our influence the wandering ones of earth. 
This, dear friend, is part of our mission, and when 
we fail in that, we fall very short of accomplish- 
ing our high and elevated duty. We are minis- 
tering constantly to God's earthly ones whose 
career is lengthened for some good purpose, 
though their conduct seems to be contradictory 
when they are so far below the observances of the 
laws of their God and of nature, but their course 
will some day turn in the right way. We often 
wonder why it is thus, but this is one of the things 
we can not yet comprehend. 

We are drawn more nearly to earth in sympathy 
for the wandering and wayward ; we can but 
deeply deplore their condition. Buta great change 
is now impending, and we hope to see the entire 
family of mankind coursing the thoughts and 
teachings heavenward and to spirituality. 

\\V are never weary in well-doing. It" all of 
my dear friends could realize the length, breadth, 
depth and heighth of God's Redeeming grace, they 
would labor more zealously to gain the haven of 
rest. We thai have passed over know of this, 
and could testify more strongly the deep out-gush- 
ings of a heart cleansed of sin and made a child 
of God. 

Q. Won't you write some for my book I 

A. Your book is all that we could ask now, 
and I would feel my greal incompetency to add 
one line. If it wanted anything more, 1 would 
most cheerfully assist. Yon have given enough 
to convert the world, if they will only stop and 
think, and ponder these Bayings in their hearts. 

There are many stubborn ones like u\\ self, but 
they will learn niore about these things whenthey 
get here, if not before, if so fortunate as to miD 



324 ATKINS' COMMUNICATION, 

with even those here. I am not ashamed of my 
course, for I was then acting out the secret and 
unholy features of a heart that never knew the 
value of my sinful one. There are more such as 
•myself, but their eyes will be opened as mine were, 
and they will yet glorify Him who loved and 
adored us for our own sakes. Our hearts swell 
with untold joy to respond to anything to spread 
far and wide the truth of the very thing which I 
so utterly abhorred. Stephen. 

Without asking any questions, these names 
were given as present : Allen Dupree, Levin Wat- 
son, David J. Allen, Bettie Watson, Mollie Wat- 
son, George A. Atkins. 

"We are afraid we will not have a chance to 
say much, if too many attend. " 

I then requested them to begin at the bottom of 
the list and each say what they desired. 

" I thank you, Mr. Watson, for the opportuni- 
ty of saying a few words, and my purpose is only 
to show to you and Miss Ellen (for this I should 
call her if she was fifty years old) that I still lin- 
ger near your happy home, and often enjoy the 
moments, though they seldom occur, that you 
devote to this writing. I care not to visit or spend 
my time in any other manifestations, for it does 
not coincide nor affiliate with my notions of a 
happy meeting, though it does prove such to some, 
and I suppose it is necessary to build up the cause 
of the so-called Spiritualism. The world needs 
something startling and forcible. I will here give 
place to my friends who are waiting. I am your 
friend in the spirit-life. Atkins." 

My Beloved Samuel. — I come in turn, as we 
are to keep up the order of names. Though there 
are many waiting eagerly to say a word, I am al- 



mollie's communication. 325 

ways the same. We had formed a band to nail 
you to-night. It is our custom to consult and 
iorm ourselves into what we term a band, though 
very often we are alone, and visit you for so brief 
a time as not even to make any impression of our 
presence. We can not always do this, for we are, 
as well as you, controlled by circumstances. We 
are concentrating our powers and forces aa a band 
to manifest ourselves in a very satisfactory and 
convincing manner. You have access to a wry 
powerful medium ; one that will do much in the 
convincing of the public. If not accomplished at 
once, it will be eventually done, whether acknowl- 
ed or not. If she continues as she has begun (I 
allude to Mrs. Miller), I want the earnest Inquirers 
to call to see her, and I — not only me, but all of 
us, will assist her in her mediumistic capacity. I 
shall not cease to try to afford you the consola- 
tion of which a materialistic seance will certainly 
produce, and not only me, but all who arc here 
to-night, They respond: "Yes, we all with on^ 
accord will exert our utmost power." We want 
you, when this is effected, to conduct some of 
your friends to the seance. 

Bettie says she is very anxious to try. and she 
only came with me to-night as a member <»t' this 
band, not that she has anything Bpecial to say j 
she does love you so much, and is ever watdii'ul 
over you. Allen is with you much, and the other 
Children are too. 1 will not consume all the time, 
for it would not be proper to do so ; so now with an 
assurance that we, a happy, holy band, do watch 
over and protect you, Samuel, 1 will stop. 

MOLLIS. 

Deau Brother Watson. Well, my dear good 
old friend in the flesh, but are hopeful of grasping 

your hand in this OUT happy land, when you -hall 
have thrown off the garb of lleshhood ; for this 



326 D. J. ALLEN'S COMMUNICATION. 

you must wait with patience, for your life has 
only been prolonged for the good end you are 
working to attain. We knew not this when we 
tabernacled in the world of sin and sorrow. Had 
we been more enlightened on subjects of so much 
importance and heart-felt joy, we could have been 
far more happy, but I think we were called for 
the purpose God intended, and your life prolong- 
ed for the end you are accomplishing. We see a 
great change and commotion going on and a terri- 
ble contest with the world, before we can feel 
assured of a reformation. The church is doing 
for the best, as they think, and it will see its error 
after a while, and will bow as a conquered army. 
This can not be done in a moment, nor a day, but 
after much tribulation and abuse from the preju- 
diced and sinful world. It takes time and perse- 
cution for the establishment of any truth which 
has been regarded with so much astounding facts, 
though simple it is when understood, but how 
difficult to make the mind comprehend as they 
think, a mystery, but it is not. If all the earth- 
ones could, for one moment, be convinced that we 
were near them, and our influence be recognized, 
I see no difficulty in the matter. We are not a 
hundred, nor a thousand miles from you, but are 
with our friends just where we will it, and can use 
an influence, if it were only believed to be ours. 
There is scarcely any one who has not felt or 
realized the presence of a departed friend, still 
they do not yield to the impression. This is what 
we term striving against the spirit in more ways 
than one. 

Well, Brother Watson, I must say that we think 
your new work will do good, as all of your able 
productions do. You are filling a mission design- 
ed by God and holy ones. I will say no more to- 
night. 



ALLEN DUPREE'S COMMUNICATION. 327 

Your old friend asks one favor, to go and see his 
family when you can. David J. Allen. 

Well, here I am, last but not least, I hope for 
it is said in the Scriptures, the first shall be Last, 
and then it says, the last shall be first ; so I have 
the best chance after all. 

I hardly know what to say, for you have had 
so much of one thing and another to-night, that 
I don't care to repeat what has been said, for our 
feelings often run, as it were, in one great channel. 
The vessel stems the current witli assistance of 
steam; so, Sammy, yon must get a large supply of 
steam from your boiler to keep your vessel mov- 
ing at a regular, rapid speed ; it won't do to per- 
mit any thing to stop, or be impeded from neglect 
on your part. You must keep up the interest, 
and we think your new work will set many i 
sons to thinking, as your other books did. i 
they think and think, and keep thinking and 
wondering what curious things are taking place 
in the world. Some are so prejudiced they will 
not yield to impressions, but after a while a bomb- 
shell will burst at their feet, and will set them to 
thinking, sure enough. 

Well, Sammy, how do you do to-night any 
way? Yon certainly feel very much relieved, that 
you have finished your production, and we feel, 
too, that you have written a valuable book, and 
believe it will do good. I have been wanting to 
tell you this, for we knew you wanted our opin- 
ion about it. 

It was not my intention to say nmeh to-night 
but we formed ourselves into a hand to come, and 
more than that, we are going to try to show our- 
selves some of these times ; it may require several 
attempts for some of ns, but we will try. 

Allsh Di PR] 



328 

My Dear Son, Samuel.— Since we gave our 
names, we have added to the band list, Susanna 
and Betsey Watson. 

We think it a great privilege to be permitted to 
hold communion with our dear child — or children, 
there are Kendall and Nannie. Margaret, like you, 
is more inclined to humor us in this thing than 
Kendall and his wife ; they stand off, but we hope 
that after awhile, they will look at and consider 
this as a very simple thing after all. We are, of 
course, astonished that this truth is veiled with 
so much mystery, but we are prepared to appre- 
ciate any opposite view of this subject, for the 
world has always been startled at the first an- 
nouncement of anything of the kind, but we watch 
the progress with delight, and do rejoice that it is 
finding the way to the hearts of people. 

There is more being effected than you are aware 
of. There are persons yielding to impressions, 
who are trying to smother the flame, but it will 
burst forth some time, to impart its life and heat 
to the beholder. For this end we pray ; oh ! yes, 
we pray, and much, too, for there is much to be 
gained here by our petitions. We are not satisfied 
with a moderate degree of love, but we want our 
entire natures to be one frame of supreme love to 
God, to angels, and to our earthly friends who 
need the purifying influence which only can be 
imparted from a heart or soul filled with love and 
mercy. 

Pray much, my dear Sammy, and commune 
much with your God. Your father, 

• Levin Watson. 

Dear Mr. Watson. — I come, dear sir, once more 
to congratulate and bid you God speed in your 
thoughts, feelings and words of deep and con- 
vincing force, which will, ere long, convince and 



GEORGE T. ATKIXs' COMMUNICATION. 329 

relieve the burthened heart and lift the veil of 
darkened vision from the eyes of many benighted 
souls. I am not alluding to any thing yon have 
so recently done, but have begun to see here what 
great achievements you have made already, and 
want you to still continue to do the work assigned 
you, and God, in his mercy, designs foryou to do. 
As we live here, so we progress, and as we 1 
gress, we can but lament the condition of our 
fellow-men on earth. 

We see progression stamped on every t h in- 
here as plainly as we witnessed the changes hi a 
natural sense. We are now advancing, for we 
know we must to obtain perfect happiness. Sou 
think I can write as you would have me, if you 
were in my place, but if I tell you anything per- 
taining to this life, it will only be what you have 
had repeated time and again. 1 hope to write 
more. George A. Atkins. 

Sister Ellen. — I come to say to you that I 
still love you as dearly as a brother could, and 
can say, with the deepest emotions of a grateful 
and spiritual heart, that I owe my extreme happi- 
ness to your pious course while we were associated 
on earth. I saw in your course of Christian-life 
and chaste and happy heart, such a beauty, and 
so much lovliness, and in trouble such cheerful 
resignation, that I felt moved to a senseofduty to 
the Author and Giver of the same, to love and 
serve him; and Ella, I know you know more of 
my change than anyone else, save God himself. 
And o, if I could but tell you half of the untold 
bliss of my heart redeemed 1 by his Love and grace, 
I would be that much happier. 1 am advancing 
in the divine life ; I can see new glories awaiting 
me, and can but stretch out my hand- to embi 
them, but the response : 5Touaxe not read) 3 



330 ENOS PERKINS' COMMUNICATION. 

dear soul, for any more than yon at present enjoy, 
and must strive harder in works of love and mer- 
cy to receive the great reward. I am seeking the 
highest degree which I hope to attain, and then, 
and not till then, will my bounding heart rejoice 
in the reception of my great reward. We do love 
the Savior, and we are tilled unutterably full of 
love and adoration for his holy name to whom we 
shall ever and forever ascribe everlasting praises. 
Brother B. wants me to say to you, that he often 
visits and watches and protects you in your jour- 
neyings through earth's wearisome course. He 
does not feel that you need him as much as some 
others, as you have such a host Of guardian spir- 
its, but looks upon you still with a tender, loving 
eye, and will still love you as ever his devoted 
Ellen. He loves to think that you have fallen in 
the arms and fond embraces, and devoted and 
faithful heart of one who is so true and pure, and 
that loves and cares for you so lovingly and faith- 
fully ; he is so noble, and is one you. should be 
well — I will say — proud of; no one more independ- 
ent and firm to the truth, as he believes, and 
we know. 

Well, we have indulged quite freely to-night, 
but have not said half, but we will say more at 
some future time. Enos Perkins. 

My Dear Son. — Sometimes I fear you think 
me neglectful of my remembrance of you, or in 
the demonstration of the fact. You are guided 
and watched by a troop of angels ; you should be 
a very happy man, surrounded by such a hal- 
lowed influence ; in fact, there is never any other 
but good influences surrounding your path. You 
are striving to do your duty ; that we Know, and 
are rejoiced to see it. There is no solid joy only 
to them who live in a faithful discharge of their 



COMMUNICATION FROM A FRIEND. 331 

duty. Never do you become weary in well-doing, 
for there is a reward awaiting you. Now take my 
advice ; will you ? Your mother, Sirs a n n a . 

The following was written by an old and intim- 
ate friend whom I joined in the church over a 
third of a century since, in this city : 

"I have been lingering around you all day. I 
had been listening to the discourse by I>r. Slater, 
and there were never words uttered by a man, 
winch were laden with more truth and force, than 
those delivered by that eminent divine. He was 
inspired to utterances made by him during the 
hour ; it fell with much force upon the ears and 
hearts of many. 

The glorious immortality of the soul is, indeed, 
a profound and important and extremely glorious 
fact. It is solace to the heart, but not viewed in 
the proper light by every one, hence the necessity 
of discussion, and impressing it upon the mind of 
wayward man. 

I continued with you, my old friend. Brother 
Watson, and have been intensely interested in 
your thoughts and doings; I manifested my 
presence in a very little matter with the peB <>n 
the table. I tried to impress you. My Zealand 
love for the church, and the prosperity of the 
cause of Gl-od is as great, and, indeed, greater than 
ever. I see no cans.' for any change in yon ; you 
have opened a way which will be crowded with 
persons, anxious inquirers, and who will be ben- 
efited by what you have done, and will, ere long, 
be instructed to do. Be patient, my dear sir, yon 
will have enough to do to finish up." 

From the Author of the Review : 

kk Well, here I come to say a few words to you 
to-night. 1 may tell my name before 1 >t<>]>, hut 



332 FROM THE AUTHOR OF REVIEW. 

as yet I withdraw the impression. It is my wish 
to say that you have done your work well. If 
I could assist you any, I would do it, but I can 
see nothing left unfinished in your new book ; it 
is intelligibly worded ; composition chaste, neat, 
and very instructive, and withal is destined to be 
a light to the world. I would not retract one 
word I have said, and wished I had said more ; 
but take all in all, it is a storehouse of good, reli- 
gious and heavenly treasured truths, to be scat- 
tered over the land, to be seen many years ; hence, 
I see nothing by which to improve the work. Too 
much is sometimes less appreciated than a little ; 
some authors spoil their books in not knowing 
where to stop. I hope you will not do this. 

"Well, to another subject. I am progressing and 
gaining heavenly knowledge, and my happiness 
is almost complete ; I delight in the work of my 
new position. We never become weary in work- 
ing for our heavenly Father, in the performance 
of mercy and useful engagements ; any thing 
that pertains to the advancement of God's king- 
dom. Eugenia and I go hand in hand and find 
delight in the ' law of God.' " 

Q. Have you seen Dr. Bond yet ? 

A. No, I have not ; he is in advance of me in 
the new life, but I will try and come in contact 
with him. 

We associate with those who departed the earth- 
life about the same time. Birds of a feather will 
flock together, until they are thrown with other 
flocks, and then they start out in other directions. 
It takes time to become tutored here, and until 
then, we branch out from our position very little. 
We are comparative strangers yet. 

I asked him to give me an account of what 
occurred after the spirit left the body. 

"I was not alone in this world, for I met wife, 



SPIRIT LIFE. 

friends and relatives. I was happy ; yes, happy, 
and could only exclaim : All my troubles over — 
Hallelujah! The exit was brighter and more 

florious than I ever conceived. I never thought 
was worthy of such a feeling and change. I had 
tried to live a pious and godly life, but could not 
feel that I ever could enjoy the feelings attending 
my exit. I waked as from a deep slumber only 
to be greeted and embraced by my dear Eugenia 
and loved ones. O, how I do wish I could describe 
my feelings. Every thing seemed transcendently 
beautiful, and ever-greens met my eye; every 
thing basking in the freshness of springtime. 
These were my impressions. I felt, oh, how beau- 
tiful ; and is this for me, poor, unworthy me, to 
enjoy? I see no reason why I should. This is our 
reward, and a glorious one it is too. This is all I 
have to say to-night." 

My Dear Samuel. — You are ever in our con- 
stant care and protection; we are near von at 
home and abroad, but of this we have tried to 
assure you time and again, and our love for you 
knows no abatement, but is deep, constant and 
abiding. We have many here to love, but. my 
deai- son, we feel the watchful caiv and pro- 
tection you stand mostly in need of. I am cogni- 
zant of your course, aiid will here say I see out 
few errors, as your impressions are but seldom 
anything but correct, being directed by holy 
angels who are very capable of guiding youarig 
But, Samuel, you must never think thai y<>n are 
influenced only by a Supreme Being whose it 
ence is exerted through as upon earth-on< 
is what we yield t<>, and are continually prompted 
to action by, and by this we an- always ena 
to act upon you. We feel our entire dej 
upon (fod, as we ever did, and as yon Bhould 



334 COMMUNICATION FROM A STRANGER. 

Samuel, always put your trust in this High Priest 
as your counsel and guide. 

Susanna Watson. 

Closing communication from I know not whom : 

Our Dear Watson. — We come to announce 
our exceeding gratification at the manner in which 
you have written and arranged your book. It has 
the highest approbation of your spirit friends, and 
we can but exclaim : Amen — Amen ! Yes, so let 
it be, the task is done — the last page is filled, we 
think, with useful instructions; your reward is 
here for you, and crown of glory awaits you ; 
your life has been one of usefulness, always devel- 
oping, or trying to, the Christian virtues, and now 
you have accomplished a finishing touch — have 
found the pearls which have been scattered near 
about your pathway. If your feet had not been 
guided by holy ones above, you might have failed 
to find these precious treasures ; but having been 
directed, and having walked therein, you have 
picked up these never-fading gems, which will be 
as beacon lights to shine all along your way, and 
impart their rays to those around, and finally 
conduct you home. 

There is much, very much, for you to enjoy, 
and, oh, our dear brother, your cup of bliss will 
be sweet and will flow to its overflowing. We can 
never know nor tell you of your joys you have 
earned by constant adherence to duty as a pleas- 
ure. It has always seemed to be a comfort of 
your earthly career, and it will insure to you a 
home in the place of the happy throng. 

We hope to grasp your hands sometimes, in 
this happy world. O, yes, you'll be here, where 
nothing is ever felt or known but perfect happi- 
ness, by all who prepared themselves for this 
sphere and who lived as to deserve a happy home 
with those who are redeemed by the precious 



SPIBITUALI8M A X D I X>.\ M I V . 336 

blood of the Lamb and Baved by bis grace. We 
hope, and shall bless God that' your efforts will 
not fail to do good. 



I wrote the following for "Clock Struck Two," 
but in consequence of other matter, it was not 
inserted. I give it here to show in what light sonic 
others view me : 

SPIRITUALISM — -I \s A MI V. 

A writer hailing from Helena. Arkansas, calling 
himself "Paul Bagbey," in the Appeal, commits 
more blunders than is usual even for those who 
write as he does, about what he professes to know 
nothing. I make this extract from his communi- 
cation : 

"I know nothing of the matter but what I have 
read in your paper, and have nothing to do with 
Dr. Watson, the Memphis Conference, Method- 
ism or Spiritualism ; but in common with all men, 
must take some interest in a matter so strange as 
that of a preacher of such standing and age, as the 
one alluded to, embracing such doctrines and do- 
ing such things as give rise to the common remark, 
as I heard it at the table on the steamboat this morn- 
ing that he is either crazy, or will shortly become 
so. Spiritualism has beeD before the country now 
for a number of years, and is to be known by its 
fruits. And it is a matter of historic record thai 
many men, some of them of great learning and 
exalted position, have become utterly deranj 
by its means i" 

I have often heard of people going "crazy," 
because of Spiritualism, and I have DO doubt, 
there have been some cases, but 1 have n< 

known of one in the course of near twenty yean 1 



336 SPIRITUALISM AND INSANITY. 

investigation of this subject. That "historic 
record " is a myth which exists in the brain of 
snch men as the author of this letter. 

Only this week, I heard an old citizen of Mem- 
phis say, that when he was at the insane asylum, 
near Nashville, Tennessee, recently, he inquired 
particularly how many persons they had there 
who had gone deranged in consequence of Spirit- 
ualism ; and the answer was : " Not one." 

Q. How many have gone deranged from religi- 
ous excitement % " About one-half of them," was 
the reply. 

The remark about myself was nothing new. I 
have been hearing the same thing for some eighteen 
or twenty years. It is one of the many things 
about which we are incapable of judging. No 
man is a competent witness in his own case, as to 
his sanity, Professor Upham, in his researches 
on Intellectual Philosophy, takes the ground that 
no man is entirely sane upon all subjects. What 
a pity that this wiseacre had not informed the 
authorities of the church " long time ago," of this 
important fact, that they "might have taken due 
notice thereof and governed themselves according- 
ly." But as he says he has " nothing to do with 
Methodism," he is excusable ; he can, however, 
say, as Festus did to his namesake: "Thou art 
beside thyself." I reply to him, in the language 
of Paul: "I am not mad, but speak forth the 
words of truth and soberness." 

When O. S. Fowler, that most celebrated Phre- 
nologist, was here in 1859, he gave me the follow- 
ing " phrenological character," which I insert that 
all may see if science considers me in danger of that 
the greatest affliction which can befall any man : 

"You, sir, have a very strongly marked head 
throughout ; possess unusual power of body of 
brain. One endowed with strong native common 



PHRENOLOGY. 337 

sense, and unusual weight of character ; have one 
of the best constitutions in the world ; have gone 
through a life of labor which few men could have 
sustained ; have worked out measurably your life- 
organs. By all means take better care of your 
recuperative powers, or you will break down 
before you know it — must eat lightly and less, and 
lay by some of your mental cares, for they a re 
wearing on you unduly, still you work so quietly 
as to expend the least strength possible, consider- 
ing what you do ; have a really splendid muscu- 
lar system — ought to take plenty of exercise — 
should gratify your love of farming, any thing to 
give you diversion and manual exercise ; have one 
of the best balanced constitutions in the world ; 
have strong domestic affections — would not quar- 
rel with a wife, however cross — are indulgent to 
family, and one of the most patient of men ; very 
decided, frigid of men, but do not show half the 
fondness you actually feel ; hold female character 
in high esteem ; are a real home body ; are a real 
true friend ; are generally liked ; are one of the 
most genial, kindly disposed men to be found. 

Are wanting in continuity ; your talents are ver- 
satile ; can attend to a great variety of things in 
short order ; have most astonishing power to with- 
stand disease. I never found a man more toimh 
and hardy, more determined not to die, and hence 
able to go through great exposure ; there is no 
killing you. You have, also, great courage and 
presence of mind ; have prodigious combative- 
ness, never right ; have much more moral .cour- 
age than physical ; have a high order of justice; 
honest and upright; no man can be more per- 
fectly moral than yourself; are tolerably hopeful, 
but not over expectant ; look on the safe, never 
venturesome, side; are a real pillar and rock on 
which society may rest, for you never deviated a 



338 PHRENOLOGY. 

hair' s breadth from the straight line of duty, and 
are universally confided in ; are staunch, stable, 
persevering, and remarkably judicious, and hence, 
carry the people with you, for they look up to 
you for advice and example, and they may look, 
for few men are so well adapted to give both ; 
live an even and consistent life. 

Have the highest order of philanthropy and 
benevolence; will on no account knowingly do 
wrong, or injure the feelings of others ; are a true 
lover of your race, and have made sacrifices from 
your boyhood, simply to bless and benefit others ; 
have no selfishness ; care little for money ; are 
careless of dollars for their own sake, and indus- 
trious to make them, but use them freely ; are not 
instinctively a financier ; are perfectly candid, 
express your feelings ; ought to have a wife more 
politic, to tell you and caution you about speak- 
ing, for you are too truthful to be discreet, and 
never could adopt a merely politic course, only 
an honest one, and I hope your wife holds on to 
the money better than you do. 

Are wanting in self-respect, need building up in 
your own eyes — need a wife to commend you ; you 
always felt unworthy and diffident ; have no just 
appreciation of your own talents and worth. I 
hope your wife does not scold you ; she ought to 
encourage you. You have really superior ideality, 
and still better reasoning powers. You are some- 
what poetical, but more philosophical. 

Are deep and original in your current of thought; 
say what carries conviction, and moulds the minds 
of others. Are truly devout, but must do your own 
thinking ; you never can take the say-so of others. 
Possess commanding natural talents, great powers 
of observation, extraordinary memory of coun- 
tenances, and uncontrollable desire to see — great 
power to give places. Great mechanical eye ; good 



COMMUNICATIONS. 

talents as a proof-reader. Poor in color, indeed, 
are almost idiotic in this respect ; indeed, never 
notice the dress of others. Are poor in memory 
of names, and know hundreds of persons by sight, 
and all about them, but their names ; are good in 
details, never forget anything, have had your mem- 
ory called into action of late. 

Have good language, but no where near words 
enough for your ideas. Have great power of sim- 
plifying and elucidating, expounding, explaining, 
and setting things clearly before the minds of 
others. Have unusual talents for reasoning, illus- 
trate by facts, weave them in handsomely ; per- 
ceive the drift and bearing of things at a glance; 
always loved metaphysics ; take large and com- 
prehensive views of subjects, and are by nature a 
strong-bodied, strong-minded, reliable man, and 
every way a most excellent man, and your best 
days are yet to come. O. S. Fowler. 

On one occasion I asked if there was any one 
present desiring to communicate. 

A. Yes, there are several who are anxious to 
communicate: — W. T. Anderson, Allen Dupree, 
Dr. Gabbert, William Watson, and David J. Allen. 

I said: " Begin at the bottom of the list and 
go up.'' 

"I feel grateful, my dear old friend, for your 
kindness to my dear, poor, distressed family. 
You are always so kind to persons in distress, but 
I little thought that among the great number to be 
assisted in Memphis, thai you would be so consid- 
erate of my family. Willie's exit from earth was a 
happy one, but he regretted to Leave his mother. 
I was happy, too, to be blessed with his soci 
and we never think here. Brother Watson, that 

the true followers of Jesus will ever suffer. We 

very often influence persona to perform 



340 GRATITUDE EXPRESSED. 

kindness to the needy, and it is done. We are 
aware of the noble and generous elements of na- 
tures which inhabit earth, and they are rarely 
possessed only by persons who are professed 
followers of Jesus. 

O, my dear friend, how much I bless you for 
your thoughtful aid, and I want you to see my 
family, when you can conveniently do so — at some 
time when you are not pressed with business, and 
talk to them, pray with, and offer words of condo- 
lence to them. I was present last Sabbath, and 
was highly gratified with the exercises. Brother 
Surratt preached a capital sermon, and did much 
good. He is certainly a very effectual preacher 
and good man. David J. Allen. 

Well, Brother Sam., if you could just see us — 
our position and our earnestness to say something 
to you, you would be somewhat amused. We are 
all together, looking upon you and Sister Ellen ; 
she and you are intensely interested, but not any 
more so than we, I assure you. I am glad you 
called me out, for these old gentlemen were con- 
tending, and I can but rejoice at my success to- 
night. I have no trouble to write or talk, and your 
good wife writes. They say they are only afraid 
I will take up too much time from them. I have 
so much to say to you, but no more, I suppose, 
than others have said. We all can testify to the 
same thing, when we refer to the condition of the 
inhabitants of this life ; we are extremely happy, 
and that consists in the employments, or the ex- 
tent of the employments. They who are engaged 
in their Heavenly Master's service mostly are the 
happiest, for even while on earth, we were never 
so well satisfied, and our consciences so calm and 
serene as when we felt that we had done our duty 
to the utmost of our capacity. It is so here. We 



QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. 341 

watch with tender care our dear earthly friends, 
and administer to their wants and necessities as 
far as our influence can produce any good, though 
often we do it for those who don't care or think of 
these things. I am glad to see and know that 
Kendell has ventured out on his line of duties- 
hope he will be prudent. John was very careful 
about him when sick. Do tell them of how much 
we love them and consider their condition and 
safety. 

This is one of my happy seasons, Sammy. I am 
glad that we have gotten up such a good channel 
of intercourse, though it may be seldomly im- 
proved, and I shall write to you again very soon. 
Your Brother, William. 

Well, Brother Watson, I thank you and your 
kind lady for another opportunity of saying a 
little more. We are very often surrounded with 
circumstances quite favorable for an interview, 
and this one, I am aware, is designed for the fam- 
ily, but if an intruder I might be called, I must 
yield to the inclination any way, though I shall 
not trespass upon time to-night. I wish you 
would tell me what you desire mostly to know. 
We have but very few themes for discus>ion here : 
the only prevailing thought and act is to do good 
and get better. There is much room for improve- 
ment for anyone who comes into this life, and it 
is quite clearly that a stranger sees his work laid 
out for him to do. 

Q. Give me your views of Christianity from 
your standpoint. 

A. I drew my views from no other place nor 
author but from the Bible or Word of &od« He 
has laid out a true plan of salvation, and there is 
a resemblance between that and what is termed 
spirit communion; the one is assisted by the other ; 



342 HAPPY IN COMMUNICATING. 

they blend beautifully, and when properly under- 
stood, no one can doubt but that there is much 
real comfort and strength in it. I am more en- 
thused with this feature of our Christianity than 
ever while on earth, and feel that I was deprived 
of much to strengthen me, and now I can but urge 
my friends to seek to obtain this privilege and 
gift. There are but few that have not tasted of 
these joys, but a great many are looking at it very 
differently to the way it is presented to them in 
the Bible, hence the objection. There is a mistake. 

I am always happy to speak to you or minister 
to you in any way I can, and in things that pro- 
mote your good and increase your happiness, or 
gratify the longing desires of your heart for any 
instructions I can give you from this our heavenly 
home. We most assuredly feel a deep interest in 
all our dear friends, but we can never talk as free- 
ly as we would wish to, still we can make some 
things very plain to you whose eyes are darkened 
because of an ignorance which the poor earth-ones 
are heir to, but you will some day see as we do, 
and enjoy as we do. There are some things which 
you will not be blessed to know until you arrive 
in this country. There are many blissful seasons 
enjoyed only by the spirits who inhabit this world, 
for 'tis too much for your heart, and would make 
you more and more dissatisfied with earth. It is 
a good place, and you can be happy where T ^ou 
are, if in the right frame of mind to accept the 
blessings as they are showered and so generously 
dispensed upon you. 

Now, my good brother, what do you want most 
to know % I may, or I may not, be fully prepared 
to answer your questions. 

Q. Where is the Spirit- world % 

A. The Spirit- world has no limit. The abode 
of the spirit of man makes up a world of their 



EMPLOYMENT IN SPIRIT LIFE. 343 

own, and their influence is everywhere, so that we 
hardly know where to locate it, but you enter it 
when your spirit leaves your body, and you come 
to us as you make your exit from earth ; this is 
your abode, but then your influence is exerted 
and felt everywhere, making our space limitless, 
or without an end. 

Q. What are your employments ? 

A. Whatever suits your capacity or talent', and 
whatever you can accomplish more good in pur- 
suing. There are various tastes, and I can say 
that whatever you do here is for some good end, 
and promotes the glory of God. Every inclina- 
tion of your spirit is of a pure and refined nature, 
if so attended to on earth ; if not, you must un- 
dergo that preparation here, until you arrive at 
that point when your thoughts and very actions 
will be love to all. All good saints live to work 
for Jesus while on earth, and this is when you can 
have strength given to you, that you may accom- 
plish much good. M. GfABBEET. 

Well, my time comes next, and I am glad of it, 
so that I can say what I have to, and be done, for 
I have waited quite patiently, I think, but these 
my friends have used my patience very much. 

Well, Sammy, I don't know that I have very 
much to say, but we are all working, and about 
the same— working for our kind Redeemer who 
has done so much for us. We do certainly feel 
yet that we still owe a big debt, and if we ever pay 
up, I will be greatly surprised and will expect ;i 
richer compensation than I have yet enjoyed. I 
try to do all I ran ; we all do that. The family 
blend in one delighted strain of affection and Li 
for you, and will say something to you BOOIL 

we bless our kind brother, tor his care over 
you and yours. We try to alleviate and Boften 



344 LEAVE ALL WITH GOD. 

the grief of the Doctor' s family, their affliction and 
bereavement, hoping that they will expect no true 
comfort from any source but a merciful Provi- 
dence. I have no more to say. Yours with love. 

Allen Dupree. 

Dear Daughter. — You are well acquainted 
with circumstances connected with my life, enough 
to know how I thought and felt concerning the 
subject of spirit communion. You did not know 
to what extent, I carried the matter, or how much 
my mind dwelt upon the theme, neither did your 
ma, for the times then were not as they are now. 
If I were on earth, I would defy any man and the 
world at large, to speak rashly against the doc- 
trine and truth of the so-called Spiritualism. My 
independence and strict adherence to anything I 
was convinced was in accordance with the Bible 
teachings, was all the fort I needed, a sufficient 
barricade against the enemy. I would fight the 
good fight of faith till I conquered. All will come 
out right, daughter, yet, and you will yet be more 
fully satisfied of the efficacy of this thing. Don't 
condemn anything because you do not have it 
your own way. These are matters over which 
you have no control. Leave all with God and 
your guardian angels; they know how and when 
to perfect the undertaking. The time is fast ap- 
proaching, when all men who revile and speak 
evil, and ridicule Brother Watson, will call him 
blessed among men ; he must wait patiently, too, 
God's own time, and for the dealings which 
are with the people of error ; they will be brought 
to light, and will no longer see through a glass 
dimly. 

I do not want to engross too much time, but I 
can not resist the opportunities, nor neglect the 
impressions wrought upon your mind. I am in 



JUDGE EDMONDS' ADDRESS. 945 

an active life ; no lazy Christian spirits here. We 
have a great work to perform. 

W. T. Anderson. 



Judge Edmonds was to have written the Intro- 
duction to this book, but he has been called away 
to the better land. As he was not permitted to 
commence, he may close the book, by telling us 
of his entrance upon his new life. This was spo- 
ken to a very large audience, in London, through 
Mrs. Tappan, May 17. 

address. 

Friends from the boundary of two worlds, I greet you to-night 
At any period during the last twenty years I would have considered 
it the proudest day of my life to stand before the audience here and 
discourse concerning the spiritual world. To-day, through a borrow- 
ed form and an unwonted manner, I come with the greetings of both 
worlds. I owe it to you to explain in a few words the manner of my 
utterance to-night. When an organist sits down to an Instrument 
to play, he is accustomed to study Ltsomewhal ; the stops, the pa 
the various methods of construction in the Instrument may not be 
familiar to him, and lie has to limit his power to the capacity of the 
instrument. In somewhat of that position do 1 ,-taml before you. The 
instrument that I employ, fortunately, has hern tuned to tin- utter- 
ances of spirits. What I lose in vigor I may gain in grscefulo 
style and spirituality. Bear with me if you cannot recognise me in 
this form, but be sure the thoughts are mine ; and through the kind- 
ly aid of those guides that have Instructed and reared herup for 
these utterances, I am enabled to give von a history of to - 
triumph of mv life — the triumph over death. 

Some of you are familiar with the history of my experience kl 8 
itualism, and somewhat with the history of my life. I recognise but 
few faces here that I have ever seen before. There are sum.-, and 
one venerable in the cause of Spiritualism whom I recognize : I 
you. My earthly body is laid aside; but my spirit, with rei 
activity, and With every faculty as full and complete ai when [dwell 

among you. is here to-night 1 am filled only with the fire and fervor of 
my new-found existence. 1 may Bay thai 1 passed through the 
change called death without one pang of Buffering. Mj body, 
true, was enfeebled. It is true that I had been Buffering for 
years from debility, and lack of strength ; but it Is also true that, by 
n series of Instructions, and by constant Intercouse with familiar 

friends in spirit-life, I had learned that death was DOl to 

In the final moments of mv life, and during the fe* week 
ceded the departure from earthly existence, I wi 



346 JUDGE EDMONDS' ADDRESS. 

the ministering attendance of one kindly spirit— the one who had 
been the companion of ray early life— the one whose death had caused 
me to long to know into what region the spirit of the departed might 
go, and the only one who, during all the years of my pursuit of knowl- 
edge, has been my constant and attendant guide. She welcomed me; 
she soothed my last moments ; she showed me the way to spiritual 
existence. Through her kindly aid I banished every thought of fear 
or death, and hailed exultantly the hour that would reunite us in 
spirit. 

I say I passed away without pain ; I was not even conscious of 
suffering ; but my body sank into a sweet repose, over which mv 
spirit, already freed, stood and looked upon it as you would stand and 
look upon a worn-out garment. I was not conscious of the loss of 
one instant of time ; my mind did not slumber. I was not aware 
even of one brief interval of the loss of control of any faculty. I knew 
I was about to die. I knew also every instant of time that my spirit 
was gradually losing control of the physical body. I re-entered the 
tenement at intervals to look around, as you might a house you were 
about to leave, to see how the loved ones were getting on that were 
watching beside me — to see if they were afraid of the new life upon 
which I was entering — to see if they would bear it as well as they 
should from the long years of instruction we had had together. There 
was prayer, and fortitude, and loving-kindness ; there was also, it is 
true, a lingering, lurking reluctance to give up the physical form of 
the spirit about to depart — that one earnest longing to cling to the 
vital form of the dearly-loved friend. I admonished my children not 
to mourn ; I admonished them of the change we know must come ; 
and I admonished them, in the name of the bright truth that had 
been revealed to us, that we must know that death had lost its 
terror. 

I say that I knew not only no interval of sleep or lack of consci- 
ousness, but I sprang into my new-found existence, as one would 
leap forth from the bonds that had enchained them for years. I had 
felt fettered and shackled in the later years of my life by physical 
suffering. I had felt bound and tethered somewhat by the chains 
of flesh that grew too weary to be borne. I sprang delighted as 
one would leap into a golden sea, as one might plunge into the atmos- 
phere after having been immured in prison. I felt my youth, strength, 
vigor — everything return that had been mine. I felt individually more 
than this : that notwithstanding all my experiences in spiritual life, 
notwithstanding the visions, communion, and visitations between 
myself and departed souls, that I have never truly known the nature 
of" spiritual existence until the final tie was broken that linked me 
to earth. To my utter amazement I beheld my form renewed utterly 
as the form of youth and strength. 1 beheld the friends — all friends 
whom I had known and accustomed to converse with as friends — 
each one youthful, each one wise with their added experience of 
spiritual life. For the first time I felt the conscious power of spirit- 
ual utterance — not as a voice not as a sound, not as a word, but as 
soul-communion. Every thought was made palpable, and every ex- 
pression made clear to those that were around me. We discoursed 
upon the body I had laid aside, as you would discourse upon any 
external thing. I was pointed to and referred to as being a spirit now 
in full and entire possession of spiritual faculties, whereas before I 
had been somewhat blinded by the lingering consciousness of the 
senses that were left behind me in my physical body. The first 



JUDGE EDMONDS' ADDRESS. 347 

thought was : Can I speak with my daughters? I could not : that is, 
there could be no audible sound, but I could palpably and perceptL- 
bly impress their minds, and my youngest daughter was aware of my 
presence, even though she knew the body had perished, and under- 
stood that the life spark had faded. 

The next spiritual sense that came to me, or spiritual conscious- 
ness, was that of motion. In my visions, Borne of yon will recollect, 
I had seen myself conveyed from one place in spiritual life to another, 
by what seemed to lie horses, or the usual means of locomotion. I 
now felt the new-found power, or spiritual sense, of volition. My 
companion said tome, "We will now visit our spiritual bomi 
looked around for some means of conveyance, when, to my astonish- 
ment, as soon as the desire seized my mind, I found myself riding, 
first slowly, but, as my will increased, more rapidly, and Anally with 
such rapidity, that had there been intervening objects, 1 must not 
have seen them. The flight seemed instantaneous. We Beemed to 
cross a vast interval of space. Sometimes 1 thought world- niu-t be 
moving past us ; sometimes I thought I could hear the distinct sound 
of the planets in their spheres ; sometimes I thought I could hear the 
sounds of distant music. But presently we stood within a luminous 
vestibule, where an atmosphere of fight and shade interblended 

seemed to prevail. This vestibule, I was told, marked the entrance 
between the spiritual and material atmosphere, and that I was DOW 
about to enter the real land of the spirit I had been there before in 
my visions; but I perceived whereas I had Men before spiritually 

with the aid of others, I now saw with mj own spiritual fain:' 

and the lens was quite different from the lens that I had borrowed 
for my previous visitation. Now I discovered new beauties each step 
or each point we reached. I discovered that my spiritual vision was 
not only quickened to the objects around, lint actually -aw tie- BOUl 
of those objects ; that each form, although seemingly as tangible as 
these walls', was really transparent ; and that a vital current pen 
every object I beheld*. 

I then made inquiry into the nature of the structure- Thi- form 
of vestibule into which I entered was more like a massive gateway 
or temple than anything I can picture. It combined graceful forma 

with various shades and degrees of colon, so distinctly blended and 

so harmoniously in accord, that I could but believe it to be a living 
and vital form. My companion, perceiving my dea It is 

finite true that this* substance differs from anything on earth ; for 
while it seems to be made of pieces of marble and precious -to' 
is none other than the vitalized thought, the living atmosphere of the 
realm into which you are entered : and each soul that pi 
leaves something or contributes something to the beauty of thii 

trance." I could then perceive around my-. If an Btmospb< 

and blue, like the halo of the saint. Thi- blue atmosphere took - 

and form about me, and instantly there arose an and. way, through 
which I pas<rd. I looked behind, and that archway \\a- left to | 

ken that another -oul had entered this land. Meanwhile, all i 

arches, and the forms that adorned them, and all the pictured im 
(1 to -row VOCal, and a distinct harmony of we 

m\ Bpirit It was unlike any music I had ever heard; .t was like 
Bound of accord ; It was more like tic blended harmony i 

thought, that one can listen to in spirit, hut can I 

earthly sense. 

We passed on, I and my one companion only ; for all other spirits 



348 

that I had seen were now invisible. We passed on. Meanwhile there 
opened to my view a vast and wonderful land. On either side majes- 
tic mountain streams wound among the valleys, and beautiful cas- 
cades were dancing down the mountain sides. I remembered this as 
the entrance to our abode in spirit. We passed swiftly, silently, and 
without any external means of locomotion directly between two 
ranges of mountains until we entered an open plain. Here was the 
selected spot of our spiritual home. As we entered the narrow passage, 
not wider than the entrance to a single room, I noticed many pecu- 
liar devices and figures peering dim from what seemed to be solid 
rocks. I saw that these devices had familiar forms and faces, and 
that they looked like words and thoughts and things that are palpa- 
ble to the mind. I could see every one of the thoughts and every 
one of the deeds of my life. Some of them Avere shady ; some, how- 
ever, were fraught with more pleasing forms ; some were what I fain 
would have forgotten— features of harshness and discord ; and some 
were attuned to scorn and anger ; but I perceived as I advanced that 
the more kindly faces and figures preponderated, and that as I really 
entered the open space, after I had become a living spirit, there were 
no forms but those of love and sympathy, and no sounds but those of 
delight. 

Here I seemed to be plunged into a stream whose every drop or 
every globule was as palpable, as distinct as the separate pearls upon 
a maiden's necklace. Each of these globules seemed to hold some 
loving thought or some palpable essence ; and as I was plunged into 
this stream, my form was stung with every individual drop as though 
each would take away some possible stain of earthliness. The longer 
I remained in the stream, the easier it became to sustain it. First it 
seemed to burn and sting like fire, then grew more and more delight- 
ful until I perceived that every globule was talking to me and repre- 
senting some truth to my mind. At last, when I came out on the 
other side, I was received with a smile from my companion, who said: 
"This removes from you the last stains of your earthly body, but not 
the last effects of all your earthly faults." 1 could perceive that 1 was 
conscious of some difference between her and me ; that I had not 
fully and entirely entered her estate ; but since bathing in that beauti- 
ful stream, I could perceive that I had more knowledge and more 
wisdom, and that my imperfections gradually left me. She then led 
the way to a beautiful bower that on either side was adorned with 
flowers having no name on earth. They are not such shapes and 
forms as you are accustomed to see, but their very odors make music 
on the ear, and their very form and colors represent some thought, 
or prayer, or aspiration. She led the way still more near into the 
entrance of our abode. I could see the shape and form, and I could 
picture to you its walls and entrance ; but I will not detain you with 
it other than to say, that in every image I saw in its formation, I 
could recognize the attributes of her with whom I was. I could see 
it had been adorned with the wonted thoughts that had been hers 
here and in spirit-life. Every prayer and deed and aspiration of good- 
ness, every kindly charity, had taken shape and form in this abode. 
I could see also my own thoughts interwoven there ; the thoughts of 
goodness, of prayer, and aspiration I had formed, and the deeds I had 
forgotten long ago, bound-up before me there, not in shape of pillar 
and statue and seeming, but alive and beautiful. I could even see 
the thoughts and prayers and aspirations of my life all ranged in a 
line before me, but not my imperfections, and said at once : " How 



JUDGE EDMONDS' ADDRESS. 349 

is this ? that in our abode I behold my thoughts of good, but not my 
imperfections." Instantly the thought of her replied: "Thei 
be no imperfection in the abode of our spirits. Fou see them al the 
entrance; you see them alon^ your way; but only thai which If 
perfect can take ultimate shape and form in the living abode of the 
perfected spirit." 

Then I saw how imperfect I was ; and the sense of my unworthl- 
ness so overcame me that I would have shrunk away from those de- 
lightful regions ; but she bade me not to tremble nor to bar, 
since every thought and stain of carthliness by my own efforts would 
have to be overcome — "Not yet," s' ne said, " are you fully prepared to 
abide here constantly ; but this is your home, and by eil'ort. by prayer, 
by daily and hourly "knowledge, you will find thai you will at lasi be 

able to sit here in this home of the spirit free and glad and conscious." 

Then for the first time I felt weary. The splendor of the new abode, 
the delight of the spirit, the consciousness of being free from pain, 
all overpowered me. and I could not at once comprehend thai I 
really a spirit and should no more return to my body. She Led me 
to an alcove separated from the rest of the abode by what seemed to 
be a trellis-work of rines and flowers. Into this I followed, and there 
I rested I know not how long ; but it seemed when I awoke as though 

all my Bpiritual faculties had been renewed, and that the flrsl | 

ing glory of the spirit that had overcome me now made me stronger, 
and I said to her who was ever by me : '"Now I am ready ; show me 
more of this beautiful life." 

Instantly, not as at first slowly, and with Beeming reluctance, but 
instantly our pathway opened and 1 saw before me, at a distal 
is true, but still plainly and distinctly before me, a concourse of 
its. Approaching were those with whom i was most intimate and 
familiar upon earth. One of the very first spirits who greeted me 
from that assemblage, who came forth as though with haste and 
speed to make known his coming, was my friend Ilora- 
late editor of the Neva York Tribune, and sometime an Investigator "f 
Spiritualism, but never an avowed Spiritualist He said, " I hasten 
to greet you and undo the injustice of years." I sad. " Why ':'' 
"Because,' he said, u I undervalued the testimony you gave upon 
the subject of this new life, which 1 find to be more than realized. 

I am at peace now in having made this Confession." I had ulwa\ > told 

him that he Little knew of the reality of Bpiritual life, and when we 
all sat In the circle- of investigation together, he turned his att< ntion 

to the pursuit of political reforms, while I sat for spiritual kno* 

I was glad of this confession ; it Beemed to soothe and strengthen me, 

I then met Professor .Mains, my old ami valued friend and coadjutor 

in spiritual Investigation. "Anl" he said to me, M i bad no Id 

the powers of the spirit separate, from matter when upon earth ; but 

I now see that all your visions were more than true. - ' Then i i 
not enumerate to you all that came one afl 
world to greel me' and make me welcome, it was as though I 
were assembled in concourse to greel 'lie welcomed spirit ; but it 
was noi for that purpose they had met They w< 
their wont, to discourse and Inquire into m 
spiritual existence. They seemed arranged in groups; 

group had ■ central mind. In the centre of on< 

seemed to be pointing out to his heat i 

dam upon him, Borne elemental exp< i imenl th il be 

follow, in reference to the pies, nl manifi stations upon earth. He is a 



350 JUDGE EDMONDS' ADDRESS. 

leading mind, and great in all questions of science. The science of 
electrical manifestations has, ever since his introduction to spiritual 
life, been the particular subject of his investigations — that and other 
allied forces. And I may tell you that his discoveries are known as 
physical manifestations'; that from his study and the pursuit of his 
favorite themes, he alone, with the aid of those who are in the same 
sphere, is working out the problem of physical vibrations, physical 
movemenis, physical sounds, physical apparitions through mediums 
upon earth ; that he is the centre of that especial group of spirits, 
who receive from him instructions, and they in turn impart their 
instructions to other spirits ; and these are dispersed at the present 
time over the face of the earth, making these demonstrations and 
revealing to mortals the truth of the power of spirit over matter. 

It is not necessary, nor have I time, to dwell upon the particular 
points and places in these manifestations, which connect and link 
them with his peculiar mind. But you will all recognize this one 
fact, that the physical manifestations occur in waves ; that they begin 
at a certain point, and then pass over the earth like waves of the sea, 
until at last the most distant nations of the earth receive something 
of these powers. The present wave just passing over England — that 
of the visible form and apparition — has occurred in America, where 
the first apparitions took place. It has reached here ; it will reach 
distant countries ; and, finally, will be followed by another wave 
which has not yet commenced. So this becomes not only a system 
of ethics, but a grand scheme of scientific discovery; which means 
that the spiritual world are far more intent, I am sorry to say, than 
scientific minds mostly are upon earth, in the pursuit and discovery 
of these new powers. 

I saw another centre and another teacher, whose strength and 
time seemed to be devoted to the form of mental and inspira-. 
tional manifestations. He, too, was learned ; he, too, had science 
and power ; I refer to Mesmer, whose discovery of the principles of 
Mesmerism constitutes an epoch in the history of science. He, too, 
is now adding to the science of spiritual control. He also has his 
pupils and coadjutors ; and these move upon the earth in harmony 
with one another, inspiring mediums, aiding in their development, 
and assisting groups of spirits who throng around them, that they 
may send a message to their friends. I saw gathered around these, 
far and wide, each attracted to their centre, those numberless thous- 
ands of spirits who, like children, were studying the alphabet of this 
new-found discovery, that they might visit your firesides and, either 
by raps, or by inspiration, or by some method unknown to you, reveal 
to you their presence : your friends, the friends of thousands and hund- 
reds of thousands upon earth, who volunteer to join these societies of 
instruction in spiritual life, as you would join classes for instruction 
in telegraphy, or any system of communication whereby you might 
reach your friends : gathered around and waiting for the very power 
that is now moving the earth, and revealing the presence of spirits 
among mortals. 

Another and a higher group were intently discoursing upon the 
history of nations, and among these minds I could distinctly discover 
the faces and forms of departed statesmen. One especial group had 
its centre in Washington ; others in Napoleon and Caesar, who, hav- 
ing outgrown their thirst for blood, are now anxious only for the 
welfare and prosperity of nations. I can see them, with their shining 
faces and radiant brows, instructing vast concourses of spirits, who, 



JUDGE EDMONDS' ADDRESS. 351 

in their turn, art- willing to move upon tlio legislative bodies of na- 
tions, even as the great impulse of liberty moved upon the < 'onj 
of tin: United States. There I can Bee the lamented Lincoln, * 
spirit had risen because of his love of liberty ; ami among the shining 
and radiant throng were still greater measures of human Lmpi 
ment. I see there the late and Lamented Charles Sumner, i 
new estate, and there, as here, debating tin- Liberty of the slave. 
I saw many other names I could not now reveal to yon, but a 
faces were familiar, and whose consciousness and thought I < 
but perceive were far beyond my newly found faculties. But I am 

told that as I grow more and more familiar with these scenes. a> I 

indeed become known among those that sit at the feet of the em- 
bodied wisdom of ages, that I too shall carry on a work that I 
too feeble to more than commence while here — fe< ble, because of the 
feeble organization and the limited faculties of human sense, but earn- 

esl a- you all know. 1 now feel that my work is just about to com- 
mence ; 1 now fetd thai this i> indeed my work, and that all my 
eflbrts and thoughts in gaining knowledge shall be to impart thai 
knowledge to those in the bondage of darki 
1 say that with all this Bhining concourse of spirits before me, 1 

could'but feel how wowderful and perfect and divine Lb that great i, r ift 

of intelligence given to every soul that outlasts and outlives thi 
rodinir influence of time, and takes its place in their om n spirit-sphere 
when time and flesh decays. I could but feci, •• < > if the 03 es of mortals 
whom I just left — if they could but see as 1 Bee, if they could know 

what I now know ! What greater blessing8 could befall mankind, 

than that this everlasting fear of death— this terror that broods like 
a nightmare over the ages— shall be removed, and they stand fa 
face with life and immortality." 

But all is not a pathway of ro>es here. Again I felt my imperfec- 
tions, and in the presence <>f that thought I felt troubled and ctif, 
in spirit; with all their welcomings I could but feel, "What a babe 

am I !" In the mid-t of this knowledge and thi- accumulate. I 

domofages, I >t<.od abashed as a child, and felt my own -; 

nakedness. Then there came out to me from some place I had not 

before discovered, forms that knelt down in fore UH-, and each one 

Cast a flower at my feet, >a\inu r : "Ton first told me of spiritual 

you were the first from whom [received knowledge on earth of spirit- 
ual existence." With their flowers, there came, too, incense likei 
of praise and prayer ; and I felt stronger, ami my spirit seemed t<> 
absorb into itself these offerings, until my form grew strong, and I 
was glad because 1 helped these. And 1 bit myself clothed with 
their offerings of love ; and tiny said !<• me i "Von have done 1 
us ; you revealed before we passed from earth our future state, and 
we bring you our offerings now.'' Then I se< med to ur.>w brighter ; 
my raiment was more like the raiment of those upon whom i 
been gazing ; and with each new offering there came a new feeling 

Of Strength ami -latitude ; and at last I ' valid tOOM 

]. lace in the midst of familiar faces, who - I 1 you hatn 

come as one of us." 

Ever since I have been hen andit seemi ages, although i short 
time in the calender of earth little more than one m 
certain appointed time-, taken my accustomed bath in th< 
flows beside our horn | ami with each nen bath 1 • 
spiritual Impulse and power revealed to m< 1 
and some trace of . arthliness depart . 



352 JUDGE EDMONDS' ADDKESS. 

free, I trust, from those stains that will cling to the spirit even though 
it strive for years ; the stains of accustomed thoughts and unguarded 
feelings. Yet even still do I feel that long years must elapse before 
I shall gain the heights of many souls that I see. I feel that long 
efforts of self-conquest must be mine before I reach the bright inher- 
itance of some whose spirits are almost too dazzling to touch. 

And sometimes, with my loved companion by my side, we two sit 
in the sequestered silence of our spiritual abode and commune with 
loftier souls, with one whose living truth and whose perfect love 
mankind are familiar. Too little do they follow in his footsteps, too 
little does his guiding hand uplift and sustain. Far above all this 
throng of assembled spirits, of councillors great and wise and good, I 
can see a shining light, a glory more radiant than aught that earth 
could picture or words portray, and a love, a surpassing kindness, 
and radiant form, whose words I now give to you : " A new com- 
mandment I give unto you, that ye love one another ;" and this word 
vibrates down through the hosts of angels and spirits and mortals 
until it reaches even your hearts, and casts out fear and hatred and 
malice and all strivings, and makes you one from this instant with 
the spirit of God. 



